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A  HANDBOOK  OF 

[FRENCH  PHONETICS 


BY 

WILLIAM  A.  NITZE 

AND 

ERNEST  H.  WILKINS 

University  of  Chicago 

WITH  EXERCISES  BY 

CLARENCE  E.   PARMENTER 

University  of  Chicago 


NEW  YORK 
HENRY  HOLT  AND  COMPANY 


A  HANDBOOK  OF 

FRENCH  PHONETICS 


BY 

WILLIAM  A.  NITZE 

AND 

ERNEST  H.  WILKINS 

University  of  Chicago 

WITH  EXERCISES  BY 

CLARENCE  E.   PARMENTER 

University  of  Chicago 


NEW  YORK 
HENRY  HOLT  AND  COMPANY 


39  O  4  3<t> 

CCPYBIGHT,   1913, 


NH3 


BY 

HENRY  HOLT  AND  COMPANY 


PREFACE 

This  little  book  is  intended  as  a  manual  for  elementary 
and  advanced  students  of  the  French  language.  In  ele- 
mentary courses  it  may  be  employed  as  a  substitute  for  the 
pages  devoted  to  pronunciation  in  whatever  Grammar  the 
teacher  is  using.  In  such  courses  the  material  printed  in 
small  type  should  be  omitted.  In  advanced  courses,  the 
book  may  be  used  as  a  basis  for  a  review  of  the  pronuncia- 
tion, and  as  a  reference  book. 

The  authors  have  endeavored  to  present  the  essential 
facts  of  French  pronunciation,  but  have  purposely  excluded 
the  treatment  of  minor  variations  in  sound  (for  example, 
intermediate  vowel  qualities)  and  the  registration  of  words 
which  are  distinctly  rare.  In  many  cases  Frenchmen  them- 
selves vary  in  the  utterance  of  a  given  word  or  group  of 
words:  in  such  cases  we  have  generally  given  only  the 
variety  which  seems  approved  by  the  best  usage.  For  such 
disputed  questions,  and  for  all  matters  of  greater  detail, 
the  reader  is  urged  to  consult  the  books  listed  in  the  Bibli- 
ography. 

We  have  endeavored  to  present  the  essential  facts  as 
clearly  and  effectively  as  possible.  Most  earlier  publica- 
tions on  the  same  subject  mingle  the  treatment  of  the  several 
sounds  with  the  rules  for  the  pronunciation  of  the  several 
letters.  The  results  of  such  a  method  seem  to  us  unfortunate : 
the  student  confuses  his  material,  and  rarely  concentrates 
his  attention  on  the  really  important  matter  —  the  actual 
learning  of  the  difficult  French  sounds.  These  dangers  we 
have  tried  to  avoid  by  treating,  first,  one  by  one,  the  several 
sounds;  then,  one  by  one,  the  several  letters. 

iii 


afiflfiafi 


IV  PREFACE 

Thus,  under  the  heading  of  Analysis,  the  sounds  of  French 
are  explained  in  sections  1-63.  Each  sound  is  represented 
by  a  phonetic  symbol.  Its  formation  is  set  forth,  its  various 
spellings  are  listed,  and  French  words  containing  it  are  given 
as  examples.  The  sounds  are  arranged  in  their  most  logical 
phonetic  order,  starting  with  the  lip-sounds  and  moving 
toward  those  made  in  the  back  of  the  mouth.  The  lists  of 
the  various  spellings  of  the  several  sounds  are  of  little  value 
to  the  beginner,  and  are  therefore  printed  in  small  type. 
To  the  advanced  student  they  may  be  very  useful,  particu- 
larly in  training  for  the  identification  of  French  words  as 
spoken. 

The  letters  are  treated,  in  alphabetical  order,  in  sections 
70-95.  In  each  case  rules  are  given,  showing  what  sound 
the  letter  in  question  represents  under  each  of  its  varying 
conditions.  Care  has  been  taken  to  classify  and  interrelate 
the  rules;  and  the  typographical  arrangement  is  so  devised 
as  to  reenforce  the  logical  classification.  It  is  hoped  that 
the  student  will  thus  be  enabled  to  solve  quickly,  by  ref- 
erence to  these  sections,  his  particular  difficulties  as  to  the 
pronunciation  of  given  words. 

Proper  names  and  foreign  words  having  marked  peculiari- 
ties are  relegated  to  sections  96  and  97.  In  most  earlier 
treatises  on  French  pronunciation  such  words  are  introduced 
among  the  normal  French  words,  thus  causing  bewildering 
and  relatively  unimportant  additions  to  the  fundamental 
set  of  rules.  Our  treatment  prevents  this  unnecessary  con- 
fusion. Our  list  of  these  words  is  of  course  merely  selective: 
the  attempt  to  give  even  a  moderately  complete  list  of  them 
would  be  beyond  the  scope  of  the  present  book. 

The  second  division  of  the  treatise,  called  Synthesis,  deals 
with  the  problems  of  actual  speech,  that  is,  connected  speech. 
Here  the  student  will  find  an  explanation  of  the  chief  prin- 
ciples of  syllabification,  stress,  quantity,   linking,  and  in- 


PREFACE  V 

tonation.  But  it  cannot  be  too  often  said  that  French  is  a 
living  language  and  should  be  learned  as  such.  The  justi- 
fication for  any  practical  treatise  on  Phonetics  is  that  it  can 
be  used  as  a  scientific  educational  tool  by  a  good  teacher, 
himself  possessing  a  fair  pronunciation  of  the  language  and 
being  always  ready  to  impart  his  knowledge  through  the  use 
of  viva  voce  methods.  For  such  use  this  book  is  intended; 
and  consequently  the  second  part,  in  particular,  offers  sug- 
gestions rather  than  dogmatic  rules.  This  applies  with 
particular  force  to  the  difficult  subject  of  Intonation,  which 
the  authors  are  convinced  can  really  be  mastered  only  by 
imitating  those  who  speak  French  well. 

Recognizing  the  fact  that  the  needs  and  the  methods  of 
individual  teachers  vary  greatly,  we  have  so  distributed  the 
statements  and  the  exercises  that  the  teacher  may  by  selec- 
tion and  rearrangement  construct  and  assign  a  series  of 
lessons  precisely  adapted  to  his  own  purposes.  In  elemen- 
tary courses,  for  example,  the  teacher  may  think  it  best, 
particularly  if  time  is  limited,  to  assign  first  only  the  most 
important  of  the  paragraphs  in  large  print,  with  the  corre- 
sponding exercises,  and  to  assign  the  more  detailed  material 
later  and  gradually,  as  the  student's  vocabulary  and  knowl- 
edge of  grammar  increase.  Or  if  in  any  course  the  teacher 
should  prefer  to  vary  the  order  in  which  the  sounds  are  pre- 
sented —  should  he,  for  example,  prefer  in  teaching  the  oral 
vowels  to  begin  with  the  extreme  positions  [i],  [a],  [u],  and 
then  fill  in  with  the  intermediate  sounds  —  he  will  find  no 
trouble  in  making  his  assignments  accordingly. 

The  exercises  may  be  expanded  ad  libitum.  They  may 
serve  as  models  on  which  others  may  be  constructed  by  the 
teacher  or  the  class. 

The  phonetic  symbols  used  in  this  book  are  those  of  the 
Association  phonetique  Internationale. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

ANALYSIS      .    .    . 1 

SOUNDS 1 

The  Production  of  Speech-Sounds 1 

The  Sounds  of  French 2 

The  Relation  of  French  Sounds  to  French  Spelling    .  2 

Diphthongs 4 

Vowels 4 

Oral 4 

Front 6 

Back 8 

Mixed  (Rounded  Front) 9 

Nasal 11 

Semiconsonants 13 

Consonants 15 

Classification  of  Consonants 15 

Consonants  Similar  in  French  and  English 16 

Explosive 17 

Fricative 19 

Nasal 20 

Trilled 21 

Lateral 21 

Table  of  Sounds,  Usual  Spellings,  and  Examples  ...  22 

LETTERS  AND  SIGNS 24 

Alphabet 24 

Accents 25 

Dleresis 25 

Cedilla *. 26 

LETTERS 26 

Double  Consonant-Letters .  26 

Final  Consonant-Letters 27 

The  Individual  Letters 27 

Foreign  Words 56 

Proper  Names 57 

vii 


VU1  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

SYNTHESIS      59 

SYLLABIC  DIVISION 59 

In  Speech 59 

In^Spelling  and  Writing 60 

STRESS 61 

In  a  Single  Word 61 

In  Connected  Speech 61 

Word  Groups 61 

Logical  and  Emotional  Stress 62 

VOWEL  QUANTITY 63 

LIAISON 64 

ASSIMILATION 66 

ELISION 67 

PITCH 67 

INTONATION     68 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 70 

EXERCISES 71 

PHONETIC  READINGS 89 

FRENCH  SELECTIONS  FOR  ORAL  PRACTICE     ...  99 

INDEX 105 


A  HANDBOOK  OF  FBENCE  PHONETICS 

ANALYSIS 

SOUNDS 

1.  The  Production  of  Speech-Sounds.  The  chief  factor 
in  any  speech-sound  is  breath.  As  the  breath  passes  upward 
between  the  vocal  chords  it  may  or  it  may  not  be  trans- 
formed into  a  musical  sound  called  voice.  It  is  transformed 
into  voice  if  the  vocal  chords  are  stretched  and  brought 
close  together  so  that  they  vibrate  periodically  as  the  breath 
passes  between  them.  It  remains  simply  breath  if  the  vocal 
chords  remain  lax  and  apart.  If  the  breath  is  transformed 
into  voice,  the  speech-sound  is  called  a  voiced  sound;  if  the 
breath  remains  simply  breath,  the  speech-sound  is  called  a 
voiceless  sound.  In  the  English  word  "fad,"  for  instance, 
the  /  is  voiceless  and  the  a  and  d  are  voiced. 

When  the  breath  or  voice  issues  upward  from  the  vocal 
chords  it  enters  a  triple  cavity  consisting  of  the  top  of 
the  throat  (pharynx),  the  mouth,  and  the  nasal  passage: 
see  Diagram  A.  The  speech-sounds  are  differentiated  from 
each  other  according  to  the  shape  assumed  by  this  cavity 
and  according  to  the  openings  and  stoppages  it  presents  to 
the  breath.  The  shape  of  the  cavity  is  altered  chiefly  by  the 
motion  of  the  tongue,  the  rounding  or  unrounding  of  the 
lips,  the  lowering  or  raising  of  the  lower  jaw,  and  the  lower- 
ing or  raising  of  the  soft  palate  (velum)  at  the  back  entrance 
of  the  nasal  passage.  The  possible  openings  for  the  escape 
of  the  breath  are  the  oral  opening,  between  the  lips,  and  the 
nasal  opening,  the  nostrils.  The  oral  opening  may  be  closed 
by  the  lips;  the  whole  nasal  passage  may  be  shut  off  by  the 
raising  of  the  soft  palate.  The  tongue  may  effect  partial 
stoppage  of  the  breath  at  various  points  in  the  mouth. 

1 


£  A  HANDBOOK   OF  FRENCH   PHONETICS 

If  the  breath  becomes  voice  at  the  vocal  chords  and 
issues  through  the  mouth,  or  through  the  mouth  and  nose, 
without  enough  stoppage  to  produce  audible  friction,  the 
speech-sound  is  called  a  vowel.1 

If  the  stoppage  of  the  breath  is  sufficient  to  cause  audible 
friction,  or  noise,  and  the  amount  of  noise  is  approximately 
equal  to  the  amount  of  voice,  the  speech-sound  is  called  a 
semiconsonant  (or  a  semivowel).  In  English  the  letters  w 
and  y  usually  represent  semiconsonant  sounds. 

If  the  noise  predominates  over  the  voice,  or  if  the  breath 
issues  from  the  vocal  chords  without  becoming  voice  (that 
is,  if  it  produces  only  audible  friction),  the  speech-sound  is 
called  a  consonant.  Accordingly,  consonants  are  either 
voiced  or  voiceless. 

Thus,  the  basis  of  a  vowel  is  voice  or  musical  sound,  that 
Of  a  consonant  is  noise  or  audible  friction,  and  that  of  a 
semiconsonant  is  an  almost  equal  amount  of  noise  and  voice. 

2.  The  Sounds  of  French.  The  French  language  has  37  dif- 
ferent sounds :  16  vowels,  3  semiconsonants,  and  18  consonants. 

For  each  of  these  sounds  we  use  a  phonetic  symbol. 
Most  of  these  sjrmbols  are  identical  in  form  with  ordinary 
letters,  for  example:  [a],  [f],  [t].  Others  are  letters  modified 
in  some  particular  way:  [a],  [n],  [o].  Others  are  special  signs: 
RL  [5])  [0]-  All  letters  or  signs  printed  in  this  book  in  square 
brackets  [  ]  are  phonetic  symbols. 

The  entire  series,  or  alphabet,  of  the  thirty-seven  phonetic 
symbols  requisite  for  French  is  tabulated  in  section  63. 

3.  The  Relation  of  French  Sounds  to  French  Spelling. 
French  spelling,  like  English  spelling,  is  not  phonetic.  A 
given  sound  may  be  represented  in  a  given  word  by  one 
letter  or  combination  of  letters,  and  in  another  word  by  an- 
other letter  or  combination  of  letters,  while  a  given  letter  or 

1  This  definition  does  not  hold  good  for  whispered  speech,  in  which 
of  course  audible  friction  is  present. 


SOUNDS 

Diagram  A 


1,  Nostrils;  2,  Nasal  passage;  3,  Lips; 
4,  Teeth;  5,  Palate;  6,  Velum,  raised  (as 
for  oral  vowels) ;  7,  Velum,  lowered  (as 
for  nasal  vowels);  8,  Uvula  (the  tip  of 
the  velum);  9,  Tongue;  10,  Pharynx; 
11,  Vocal  chords  (glottis).  The  advanced 
student  will  do  well  to  consult  a  good 
medical  chart  of  the  throat,  mouth,  and 
nose. 


combination  of  letters  may  represent  now  one  sound,  now  an- 
other. Many  letters,  moreover,  in  French  as  in  English,  are 
in  certain  cases  silent,  —  that  is,  do  not  represent  sounds  at  all. 
In  English,  for  instance,  the  sound  of  e  in  "me"  is  some- 
times represented  by  e,  as  in  the  word  "me,"  sometimes  by 
ee,  as  in  "reed,"  sometimes  by  ea,  as  in  "read"  (present 


4  A  HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 

tense);  while  the  ea  in  "read"  (present  tense)  represents  a 
sound  different  from  that  represented  by  ea  in  "read"  (past 
tense).  In  the  word  "knight"  the  k,  g,  and  h  are  silent.  So 
in  French  the  words  est  and  aient,  though  spelled  very  dif- 
ferently, are  identical  in  sound,  and  in  each  the  consonant- 
letters  are  silent  (each  word  consists  simply  of  the  sound  [e] : 
see  section  10) ;  while  in  the  word  aimai  the  two  az's  have 
different  sounds  ([e]  and  [e]:  see  sections  10  and  9). 

4.  Diphthongs.  A  true  diphthong  is  a  combination  of  two  vowel 
sounds  uttered  with  the  same  impulse  of  breath  and  in  the  same  syl- 
lable. In  English,  diphthongs  are  frequent.  They  are  represented 
sometimes  by  two  vowel-letters,  as  in  the  word  "voice,"  sometimes 
by  a  single  letter,  as  in  the  words  "my,"  which  is  pronounced  "ma-ee," 
and  "go,"  which  is  really  pronounced  "gou."  The  second  element  of 
the  diphthong,  in  such  a  word  as  "go,"  is  often  called  an  off-glide. 
In  French  there  are  no  true  diphthongs.  The  French  combinations 
which  most  nearly  resemble  diphthongs  are  those  consisting  of  a  semi- 
consonant  and  a  vowel  sound:  see  sections  28-38. 

A  combination  of  two  letters  representing  a  single  sound,  like  the 
ea  in  "read,"  is  called  a  digraph. 

VOWELS     . 

5.  Vowels  are  sounds  in  which  the  voice  issues  through 
the  mouth,  or  through  the  mouth  and  nose,  with  little  or  no 
stoppage:  see  section  1. 

The  French  language  has  16  vowels,  of  which  12  are  oral 
vowels  and  4  are  nasal  vowels. 

Oral  Vowels 

6.  An  oral  vowel  is  one  spoken  through  the  mouth  only. 
In  its  utterance  the  velum  is  raised,  thus  shutting  off  the 
nasal  passage. 

The  French  oral  vowels  are  pronounced  more  distinctly 
and  more  tensely  than  the  English  vowels.  In  English  the 
vocal  organs  often  relax  during  the  pronunciation  of  a  vowel, 
so  that  it  ends  in  a  sort  of  off-glide;  "go,"  for  instance,  is 


VOWELS  5 

really  pronounced  "  gou  " :  see  section  4.  In  French  there  is  no 
such  off-glide;  the  vocal  organs  retain  their  position  until  the 
pronunciation  of  the  vowel  is  complete.  The  student  should 
be  on  his  guard  against  carrying  over  into  his  pronunciation 
of  French  his  habits  of  English  vowel  pronunciation. 


Diagram  B 


Diagram  B  shows  the  different  places  in  the  mouth  at 
which  the  several  oral  vowels  are  formed,  and  indicates  the 
manner  of  their  formation.  The  left  end  of  the  horizontal 
line  represents  the  position  of  the  teeth;  the  right  end,  the 
position  of  the  uvula.  The  nearness  of  the  symbol  to  the 
horizontal  line  indicates  the  degree  to  which  the  tongue  is 
raised  in  the  formation  of  the  vowel  in  question.  The  four 
vowels  whose  symbols  appear  on  the  straight  slanting  line 
are  called  front  vowels.  The  four  on  the  solid  curved  line  are 
called  back  vowels.  The  four  on  the  dotted  curved  line  are 
called  mixed  vowels,  or  rounded  front  vowels. 

Diagram  C  gives  representative  words  (key-words)  con- 
taining the  several  vowel  sounds. 


A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 


Front  Vowels 

7.  In  the  formation  of  all  the  French  front  vowels  there 
occurs  a  forward  movement  or  fronting  of  the  tongue.  The 
lips  are  drawn  closer  to  the  teeth  than  in  the  formation  of 
the  corresponding  English  vowels. 

8.  [i].  In  the  formation  of  this  sound  the  blade  of  the 
tongue  is  close  to  the  front  of  the  hard  palate.  The  tip  of 
the  tongue  is  bent  down  so  as  to  touch  the  lower  teeth. 
The  mouth  is  very  nearly  closed.  The  corners  of  the  lips 
are  drawn  back,  and  the  jaws  do  not  move. 

This  sound  is  similar  to  the  vowel  sound  in  English 
"beet,"  but  it  is  pronounced  more  tensely.  The  vowel 
sound  of  English  "it"  does  not  occur  in  standard  French. 

This  sound  is  represented  in  spelling: 

usually  by  i  or  i  (that  is,  i  with  a  circum- 
flex accent,  called  "t  circumflex":  the  ac- 
cents will  be  discussed  in  section  65) ; 

in  a  few  words,  after  the  sounds  [a]  or  [o], 
by  l  (that  is,  "i  with  a  diaeresis" :  see  sec- 
tion 66) ; 

in  the  word  y,  and  in  a  few  bookish  words, 
by  y. 

For  the  representation  of  the  phonetic 
combinations  [ij]  and  [ji],  see  sections  30 
and  31. 

1  In  all  French  words  chosen  as  giving  examples  of  the  several 
sounds,  the  portion  of  the  word  printed  in  bold-face  type  has  the 
sound  in  question.  Each  example  is  followed  by  a  set  of  phonetic 
symbols  indicating  the  exact  pronunciation  of  the  word.  The  con- 
sonant-letters used  as  symbols  in  sections  8-54  represent  sounds  ap- 
proximately equivalent  to  the  ordinary  sounds  of  the  corresponding 
English  letters;  except  that  [r]  and  [1]  represent  sounds  somewhat 
different  from  English  r  and  I  (see  sections  61  and  62),  and  that  [j] 
represents  a  sound  equivalent  to  the  ordinary  sound  of  English  y.  The 
phonetic  symbol  [g]  represents  the  sound  of  g  in  "go";  the  symbol  [s] 
represents  the  sound  of  the  voiceless  s  of  "base."  The  sign  :  after  a 
vowel-symbol  indicates  that  the  vowel  represented  by  that  symbol  is 
long.    Vowels  whose  symbols  are  not  followed  by  that  sign  are  short. 

2  For  the  sound  indicated  by  the  symbol  [a],  see  section  11. 


EXAMPLES1 

SYMBOLS 

fini 

[fini] 

vie 
ile 

[vi] 
[i:l] 

naif 

[naif]2 

lyre 


[li:r] 


VOWELS 


9.   [e].    This  sound  is  called  close  e. 

The  blade  of  the  tongue  is  slightly  lower  than  for  [i],  and 
the  mouth  is  wider  open. 

This  sound  is  similar  to  the  a  in  English  "fate,"  but  it  is 
pronounced  more  tensely,  and  the  lips  are  drawn  back  more. 

It  is  represented  in  spelling: 

usually  by  e,  6  ("e  acute"),  or  ai; 


in  the  word  abbaye,  and  in  the  word  pays 
and  its  derivatives,  by  a; 

in  a  few  bookish  words,  as  initial,  by  oe. 


EXAMPLES 

SYMBOLS 

et 
nez 
ete 
gai 

[el 
[ne] 
[etel 
[gel 

pays 

[peil1 

oedipe 


[edip] 


10.   [c].    This  sound  is  called  open  e. 

The  blade  of  the  tongue  is  slightly  lower  than  for  [e],  and 
the  mouth  is  wider  open.  The  sides  of  the  tongue  come  into 
contact  with  the  upper  front  molars. 

This  sound  is  opener  than  that  of  e  in  English  "bed." 

It  is  represented  in  spelling: 


usually  by  e,  e  ("e  grave1 
circumflex"),  or  ei; 


'),  $,  ai,  ai  ("ai 


EXAMPLES 


met 

[me] 

penne 

[pen] 

des 

[de] 

bete 

[be:t] 

fait 

M 

faite 

[test] 

peine 

[pen] 

payer 

[peje] 

payement 

[pema] 2 

Noel 

[noel]3 

SYMBOLS 


in  some  words,  before  y,  by  a; 
in  the  word  payement,  by  ay; 
in  the  word  Noel,  by  e. 

11.  [a].  In  the  formation  of  this  sound  the  tongue  re- 
mains fiat,  with  its  tip  still  pressed  against  the  lower 
incisors.  The  mouth  and  lips  are  opened  to  a  normally 
wide  position. 

1  These  words  are  sometimes  otherwise  pronounced :  see  section  70. 

2  For  the  sound  indicated  by  the  symbol  [a],  see  section  25. 

3  For  the  sound  indicated  by  the  symbol  [o],  see  section  14. 


8 


A  HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 


In  formation  and  in  acoustic  effect  this  sound  lies  between 
the  a  in  English  "pat"  and  the  a  in  English  "father."1 


It  is  represented  in  spelling: 
usually  by  a; 

in  a  few  words,  when  final,  by  a; 

in  certain  verb  endings  of  the  1st  conju- 
gation, by  a; 

in  a  few  words,  before  m  or  n,  by  e. 

For  the  representation  of  the  phonetic 
combination  [wa],  see  section  35. 


EXAMPLES 


patte 
cave 

[pat] 
[kaiv] 

la 

[la] 

aimames 

[emam] 

femme 


SYMBOLS 


[fam] 


Back  Vowels 

12.  In  the  formation  of  all  the  back  vowels  the  tongue  is 
drawn  back,  and  the  lips  are  rounded. 

13.  [a].  This  sound  differs  distinctly  from  [a].  The  blade 
of  the  tongue  is  as  low  as  possible  in  the  mouth.  The  tip 
does  not  quite  touch  the  lower  teeth.  The  lips  are  slightly 
rounded. 

This  sound  is  somewhat  deeper  in  tone  than  the  normal 
pronunciation  of  the  a  in  English  "father." 

It  is  represented  in  spelling:  examples 

usually  by  a  or  d; 


sometimes,  before  n  in  liaison  (see  sec- 
tions 104-108),  by  e. 

For  the  representation  of  the  phonetic 
combination  [wa],  see  section  37. 


pas 

tasse 

ame 

en  6te" 


SYMBOLS 

[pa] 

[ta:s] 

[cum] 

[anete] 


14.   [o].    This  sound  is  called  open  o. 

The  back  of  the  tongue  is  slightly  higher  than  for  [a],  and 
the  lips  are  more  rounded. 

This  sound  lies  between  the  u  in  English  "fun"  and  the 
a  in  "law." 

1  "father,"  in  the  phonetic  notation  of  Webster's  New  International 
Dictionary. 


VOWELS 


It  is  represented  in  spelling: 
usually  by  o  or  au; 

in  the  words  hdpital  and  hdtel,  by  6. 


EXAMPLES 

note 
fort 
aurai 

hdtel 


SYMBOLS 


[not] 
[fair] 
[ore] 

[otel] 


15.   [o].    This  sound  is  called  close  o. 

The  back  of  the  tongue  is  considerably  higher  than  for  [o], 
and  the  lips  are  tenser,  with  more  definite  rounding. 

This  sound  is  similar  to  the  o  in  English  "go,"  but  it  is 
pronounced  more  tensely. 


is  represented  in  spelling: 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBOLS 

by  o,  6,  au,  or  eau. 

nos 

[no] 

tome 

[to:m] 

tdt 

[to] 

aux 

[o] 

beau 

[bo] 

16.  [u].  The  back  of  the  tongue 
being  close  to  the  soft  palate,  and  the 

This  sound  is  like  that  of  the  oo  in 
that  the  lips  are  farther  forward  and 

It  is  represented  in  spelling: 
usually  by  ou  or  ou; 


is  higher  than  for  [o], 
lips  are  more  rounded.1 
English  "toot,"  except 
more  tensely  rounded. 


in  the  word  ou,  by  ou; 

in  the  word  aout  and  its  derivatives, 
aou. 


by 


EXAMPLES 

SYMBOLS 

SOU 

douze 
gout 

[su] 

[du:z] 

[gu] 

ou 

[u] 

aout 

M 

Mixed  Vowels 
(Rounded  Front  Vowels) 

17.  In  the  formation  of  the  mixed  vowels  there  occurs 
a  fronting  of  the  tongue,  and  the  lips  are  rounded.  The 
learner  should  first  get  the  correct  tongue  position,  and  then, 
still  holding  the  tongue  in  that  position,  round  the  lips. 

1  Dumville  says  {Elements  of  French  Pronunciation  and  Diction, 
p.  50):  "For  u,  the  round  hole  made  by  the  lips  should  be  just  large 
enough  to  allow  the  end  of  an  ordinary  lead  pencil  to  pass  in  and  out." 


10 


A  HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 


18.  [y].  In  the  formation  of  this  sound  the  tongue  and 
jaws  have  the  same  position  as  for  [i],  and  the  lips  are  rounded 
as  for  [u]. 

This  sound  has  no  counterpart  in  English.  It  is  quite 
unlike  either  English  u,  as  in  "mute,"  or  English  oo,  as  in 
"moot." 

It  is  represented  in  spelling:  examples      symbols 

usually  by  u  or  u; 


in  certain  forms  of  the  verb  avoir,  by  eu 
or  eu. 


une 
cuve 

da 

eus 
eut 


[yn] 

[ky:v] 

[dy] 

[y] 
[y] 


19.   [0].    This  sound  is  called  close  eu. 
In  its  formation  the  tongue  and  jaws  have  the  same  posi- 
tion as  for  [e],  and  the  lips  are  rounded  as  for  [o]. 

It  is  represented  in  spelling: 
by  eu,  eu,  or  ceu. 


EXAMPLES 

feu 
meute 
jeuner 
nceud 


SYMBOLS 
[fc] 

[ni0:t] 

[$0ne]1 

[n0] 


20.   [oe].    This  sound  is  called  open  eu. 

In  its  formation  the  tongue  and  jaws  have  the  same  posi- 
tion as  for  [e],  and  the  lips  are  rounded  as  for  [o]. 

It  is  not  unlike  the  u  in  English  "burn"  when  the  r  is  not 
sounded. 

It  is  represented  in  spelling: 
usually  by  eu  or  ceu; 


in  a  few  words,  before  medial  ill  or  final 
il,  by  oe; 

in  the  few  words  in  which  it  stands  be- 
tween c  or  g  and  medial  ill  or  final  il,  by 
ue; 


sometimes,  before  n  in  liaison,  by  u. 


EXAMPLES 

SYMBOLS 

peuple 
veuve 
sceur 

[pcepl] 
[vce:v] 
[scerr] 

oeillet 
ceil 

[ceje] 
[ceij] 

cueillir 
orgueil 

[kcejiir] 
[orgceij] 

un  ami 

[cenami] 

For  the  sound  indicated  by  the  symbol  [3],  see  section  55. 


VOWELS 


11 


21.   [a].    This  sound  is  called  mute  e  or  feminine  e. 

It  differs  from  [oe]  chiefly  in  that  it  is  not  so  tense.  It  is 
always  very  short,  and  never  stressed. 

It  is  not  unlike  the  unstressed  e  in  English  "the  man/' or 
the  a  in  "Louisa." 


It  is  represented  in  spelling: 
usually  by  e; 

in  the  stem-syllable  of  certain  forms  and 
derivatives  of  the  verb  faire,  by  ai; 

in  the  word  monsieur,  by  on. 


EXAMPLES 

de 
me 

faisait 
monsieur 


SYMBOLS 

[da] 
[ma] 

[faze] 
[masjo] 


Nasal  Vowels 

22.  A  nasal  vowel  is  one  pronounced  simultaneously 
through  the  mouth  and  the  nose.  The  velum  is  dropped, 
and  the  breath  passes  through  both  the  oral  and  the  nasal 
passages.     The  tongue  position,  for  all  nasal  vowels,  is  low. 

They  are  as  distinct  as  the  oral  vowels.  They  have  noth- 
ing of  the  American  "nasal  twang."  Care  must  be  taken 
not  to  close  the  mouth  until  the  pronunciation  of  the  vowel 
is  completed. 

The  sign  ~  over  a  vowel-symbol  indicates  that  the  vowel 
is  nasal. 

23.  In  spelling,  nasal  vowels  are  represented  by  vowel- 
letters  followed  by  checked  m  or  n:  that  is,  m  or  n  followed 
by  a  consonant  other  than  m  or  n,  or  final.1  The  checked 
m  or  n  is  itself  silent. 

Thus  the  m  or  n  is  checked,  and  the  preceding  vowel  is 
nasal,  in  the  words  camp  [ka],  comte  [koit],  faim  [fe],  onze 
[5iz],  saint  [se],  un  [de];  whereas  the  m  or  n  is  not  checked, 

1  The  terms  "checked  m"  and  "checked  n"  are  new.  They  may 
not  at  first  commend  themselves  to  phoneticians  who  are  accustomed 
to  apply  "checked"  to  vowels  only;  but  we  believe  the  new  terms 
justified  by  their  essential  accuracy  and  their  great  convenience. 


12 


A   HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 


and  the  preceding  vowel  is  oral,  in  the  words  aima  [ema], 
comme  [kom],  amnistie  [amnisti],  inutile  [inytil],  donna  [dona]. 

In  a  very  few  words  a  nasal  vowel  is  represented  by  a  vowel-letter 
followed  by  an  m  or  n  that  is  not  checked;  and  in  a  very  few  cases 
vowel-letters  followed  by  checked  m  or  n  do  not  represent  nasal  sounds: 
see  the  Notes  in  sections  83  and  84. 

24.  [e].  This  sound  is  the  nasal  equivalent  of  a  sound 
intermediate  between  oral  [e]  and  oral  [a]. 


It  is  represented  in  spelling: 

usually  by  aim,  ain,  eim,  ein,  im,  or 
in; 


after  the  sounds  [e]  or  Ij],  by  en; 

in  certain  forms  of  tenir  and  venir,  by 
in; 

in  a  few  bookish  words,  by  em,  en, 
'in,  ym,  or  yn. 


For  the  representation  of  the  pho- 
netic combination  [we],  see  section 
38. 


EXAMPLES 

faim 

sainte 

Reims 

sein 

simple 

vin 

europeen 
bien 

vinmes 


sempiternel 

examen 

coincider 

nymphe 

syntaxe 


SYMBOLS 

m 

[se:t] 

[re:s] 

[se] 

[seipl] 

[ve] 

[ceropee] 
[bje] 

[ve:m] 


[sepiternel] 

[egzamel 

[koeside] 

[ne:f] 

[setaks] 


25.   [ft].    This  sound  is  the  nasal  equivalent  of  oral  [a] 
It  is  represented  in  spelling: 
usually  by  am,  an,  em,  or  en; 


EXAMPLES 

camp 
dans 
tempe 
dent 


paon 


SYMBOLS 


Ika] 

[da] 

[taip] 

[da] 

[pa] 


in  a  few  monosyllabic  nouns,  by  aon. 

26.   [5].     This  sound  is  the  nasal  equivalent  of  a  sound 
intermediate  between  oral  [o]  and  oral  [o]. 
It  is  represented  in  spelling: 
by  om  or  on. 


EXAMPLES 

dom 
bon 

onze 


SYMBOLS 


do] 
bo] 
o:z] 


SEMICONSONANTS 


13 


21.  [6b].    This  sound  is  the  nasal  equivalent  of  oral  [ce]. 

It  is  represented  in  spelling:  examples  symbols 

by  urn,  un,  or  eun. 


EXAMPLES 

humble 
parfum 
un 
jeun 


[cbibl] 
[parfoe] 
[eel 
[303] 


SEMICONSONANTS 


28.  Semiconsonants  are  sounds  in  which  the  voice  and 
the  noise  of  the  friction  resulting  from  the  stoppage  of 
the  breath  are  approximately  equal  in  strength:  see  sec- 
tion 1. 

The  French  language  has  three  semiconsonants:  [j],  [uj, 
and  [w]. 

29.  [j].  This  sound  corresponds  to  [i]  spoken  very  lightly. 
It  is  equivalent  to  the  y  in  English  "you." 

It  is  represented  in  spelling:  examples 

when  initial: 
usually  by  y; 
in  a  few  bookish  words,  by  i  or  i; 

when  medial : 

after  a  consonant,  by  i; 
after  a  vowel,  by  i,  y,  or  ill; 


when  final  in  sound  but  not  in  spell- 
ing (i.e.,  before  final  e),  by  ill; 

when  final  in  sound  and  in  spelling: 

usually  by  il; 

in  the  word  linceul,  by  I. 

For  the  representation  of  the  pho- 
netic combinations  [ij],  [ji],  and 
[waj],  see  sections  30,  31,  and  36. 


yeux 

ionique 
iiambe 


bien 


paien 
payer 
bataillon 

bataille 


betail 
linceul 


SYMBOLS 

M 

[jonik] 
fiarb] 

[bje] 

[paje] 
[peje] 
[batajo] 

[bataij] 


[betarj] 
[lesce:]] 1 


1  This  word  is  sometimes  otherwise  pronounced:  see  section  82. 


14 


A  HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 


30.   The  phonetic  combination   [ij]  is 
represented  in  spelling: 

usually  by  yi,  ii,  or  ill; 


in  the  words  gresil  and  mil  ("mil- 
let"), by  U. 

For  the  representation  of  the  pho- 
netic combination  [qij],  see  section 
33. 

31.  The  phonetic  combination  [ji]  is 
represented  in  spelling: 

usually  by  Mi; 

in  the  word  abbaye,  and  in  the  word 
pays  and  its  derivatives,  by  y. 


EXAMPLES 

payions 
priions 
fille 
pavilion 

gresil 


taillis 

abbaye 
pays 


SYMBOLS 


[peijo] 
[pnjo] 
[fi:j] 
[pavijo] 

[grezij] 


[taji] 

[abeji] 
[peji]1 


EXAMPLES 

cuisine 
lui 


[kqizin] 
[Iqi] 


32.  [q].     This   sound   corresponds   to   [y]   spoken   very 
lightly. 

It  is  represented  in  spelling:  examples         symbols 

by  u. 

For  the  representation  of  the  pho- 
netic combination  [qij],  see  section 
33. 

33.  The  phonetic  combination  [qij]  is 
represented  in  spelling: 

by  uy.  fuyard  [f  qij  air] 

34.  [w].     This   sound   corresponds   to   [u]   spoken  very 
lightly. 

It  is  similar  to  the  w  in  English  "won,"  but  the  lips  are 
farther  forward. 


SYMBOLS 


[fwe] 
[wi] 


It  is  represented  in  spelling:  examp 

by  ou.  fouet 

For  the  representation  of  the  pho- 
netic combinations  [wa],  [wa],  and 
[we],  see  sections  35-38. 

1  These  words  are  sometimes  otherwise  pronounced:  see  section  70. 


CONSONANTS 


15 


35.   The  phonetic  combination  [wa]  is 
represented  in  spelling: 

usually  by  oi  or  oi; 


in  the  word  moelle  and  its  derivatives, 
by  oe; 

in  the  word  poele  and  its  derivatives, 
by  oe; 

in  a  few  words,  by  oua; 

in  certain  verb  forms  of  the  first  con- 
jugation, by  oud; 

in  some  bookish  words,  after  g  or  q, 
by  ua. 

For  the  representation  of  the  phonet- 
ic combination  [waj],  see  section  36. 

36.  The  phonetic  combination  [waj]  is 
represented  in  spelling: 

usually  by  oy; 

in  a  few  words,  by  ouaill. 

37.  The  phonetic  combination  [wa]  is 
represented  in  spelling: 

usually  by  oi  or  oi; 

in  the  word  -poele  and  its  derivatives, 
by  o&. 

38.  The  phonetic  combination  [we]  is 
represented  in  spelling: 

usually  by  oin; 

in  a  few  words,  by  ouin. 


EXAMPLES 

fois 

cloison 

boite 

moelle 

poele 

ouate 
louames 


lingual 
quadrupede 


croyance 
moyen 

brouaille 


bois 
Cloitre 


poelt 


baragouin 


SYMBOLS 

[fwa] 

jklwazo] 

[bwait] 

[mwal] 

[pwail]1 

[wat] 
[lwam] 

[legwal] 
[kwadryped] 


[krwajars] 
[mwaje] 

[brwaij] 


[bwa] 
[klwa:tr] 

[pwail]2 


[swe] 
[baragwe] 


CONSONANTS 

39.  Classification  of  Consonants.  Consonants  are  sounds 
in  which  the  noise  of  friction  from  stoppage  of  the  breath 
predominates  over  the  sound  of  the  voice,  or  constitutes  the 

1  These  words  are  sometimes  otherwise  pronounced :  see  section  37. 

2  These  words  are  sometimes  otherwise  pronounced:  see  section  35. 


16 


A   HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 


entire  sound  in  case  the  breath  does  not  become  voice:  see 
section  1.  Consonants  in  which  voice  is  present  are  called 
voiced  consonants;  those  in  which  the  breath  does  not  become 
voice  are  called  voiceless  consonants. 

The  French  language  has  18  consonants.  They  are  classi- 
fied in  the  following  table  according  to  the  character  and  the 
position  of  the  stoppage.  The  character  of  the  stoppage  is 
indicated  by  the  terms  at  the  left  of  the  table,  the  position 
of  the  stoppage  by  the  terms  at  the  top  of  the  table. 


LABIAL 

LABIODENTAL 

DENTAL 

PREPALATAL 

PALATAL 

UVULAR 

Explosive 

[b]  [p] 

[d]  [t] 

[g]  M 

Fricative 

W  [f] 

M  [si 

[3]  Bl 

Nasal 

[m] 

W 

w 

Trilled 

M 

[E] 

Lateral 

[i] 

For  the  meaning  of  the  terms  explosive,  fricative,  nasal, 
trilled,  and  lateral,  see  sections  41,  50,  57,  61,  62. 

In  each  of  the  pairs  of  explosive  and  fricative  consonants 
the  first  is  voiced,  the  second  voiceless.  The  nasal,  trilled, 
and  lateral  consonants  are  all  voiced. 

The  articulation  of  French  consonants  is  clearer  and  tenser 
than  that  of  English  consonants. 

40.   Consonants  Similar  in  French  and  English.     The 

explosives,  and  the  sounds  [v],  [f],  [z],  [s],  [m],  and  [n],  are 
approximately  equivalent  to  the  ordinary  sounds  of  the 
English  letters  corresponding  to  the  several  symbols  (this 
means,  in  the  case  of  [g],  the  g  of  "go,"  and  in  the  case  of 
[s],  the  voiceless  s  of  "base"). 


CONSONANTS 


17 


Explosive  Consonants 

41.  In  the  utterance  of  the  explosive  consonants  the 
stoppage  is  complete,  and  then  suddenly  broken. 

The  French  voiced  explosives,  [b],  [d],  and  [g],  differ  from 
the  corresponding  English  sounds  in  that  in  the  French  ex- 
plosives the  voice  begins  when  the  vocal  organs  assume  their 
position  for  the  sound,  whereas  in  the  English  sounds  the 
voice  does  not  begin  until  the  explosion  takes  place.  The 
French  sounds  are  therefore  heard  more  distinctly  than  the 
corresponding  English  sounds. 

Care  must  be  taken  in  French  not  to  follow  the  explosion 
with  an  audible  breath.  This  can  be  avoided  by  bringing 
the  vocal  chords  together  immediately  after  the  explosion; 
that  is,  by  closing  the  glottis. 


42.  [b].  This  sound  is  represented: 
by  6  or  66. 

43.  [p].  This  sound  is  represented: 
usually  by  p  or  pp; 

in  some  words,  before  s  or  t,  by  6. 

44.  [d].  This  sound  is  more  dis- 
tinctly dental  than  the  English  d. 

It  is  represented: 
by  d  or  dd. 

45.  [t].  This  sound  is  more   dis- 
tinctly dental  than  the  English  t. 

It  is  represented: 
usually  by  t  or  it; 

in  some  bookish  words,  by  th; 

in  certain  words,  when  they  occur  in 
liaison,  by  d. 


EXAMPLES 


bas 
abbe 


pas 
appeler 

observer 


aide 
addition 


ton 
mette 

[to] 
[met] 

theme 

[tern] 

grand  homme 
quand  il 
viendra 

[gratom] 
[katil- 
vjedra] 

SYMBOLS 

[ba] 
[abe] 

[pa] 
[aple] 

[opserve] 


[e:d] 
[adisja] 


18 


A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 


46.  [g].    This  sound  is  represented: 
usually  by  g  or  gg; 

before  a  or  o,  in  some  verb  forms,  by 
gu; 

before  e  or  i,  by  gu; 

in   the   words   second,    anecdote,    and 
their  derivatives,  by  c. 

For  the  representation  of  the  phonetic 
combination  [gz],  see  section  47. 

47.  The   phonetic   combination    [gz]   is 
represented : 

by  x. 

48.  [k].    This  sound  is  represented: 
usually  by  c  or  cc; 

1 

before  a  or  o,  often  by  qu; 
before  e  or  i: 

when  initial,  by  qu; 

when  medial,  by  qu  or  cqu; 

in  a  few  words,  as  final,  by  q; 
in  some  bookish  words,  by  ch; 

in  some  bookish  words,  by  k; 

in   some  bookish  words,   before  the 
sound  [w],  by  q; 

in  certain  words,  when  they  occur  in 
liaison,  by  g. 

For  the  representation  of  the  phonetic 
combination  [ks],  see  section  49. 

49.  The   phonetic    combination    [ks]   is 
represented : 


usually  by  x; 

in  some  wor 
prefix  ex-,  bj 

in  some  words,  before  e  or  i,  by  cc. 


in  some  words  which  begin  with  the 
prefix  ex-,  by  xc  or  xs; 


EXAMPLES 

aigu 
aggraver 

briguons 

guide 
second 


exiler 


lac 
accuser 

quand 


querelle 
qui 

requ^rir 
grecque 

coq 

echo 
chronique 

kilometre 

equation 

sang  impur 


texte 
excellent 

acces 


CONSONANTS 


19 


Fkicative  Consonants 

50.   In   the   utterance   of  the   fricative   consonants   the 
stoppage  is  partial  and  continuous. 


51.  [v].    This  sound  is  represented: 

usually  by  v; 

in  the  word  neuf,  when  it  occurs  in 
liaison,  by/. 

52.  [f].    This  sound  is  represented: 
usually  by  /  or  ff; 

in  some  bookish  words,  by  ph. 

53.  [z].    This  sound  is  represented: 

usually  by  z; 

often,  as  medial,  by  s; 

in  a  few  numerals,  by  x; 

in  certain  words,  when  they  occur  in 
liaison,  by  s  or  x. 

For  the  representation  of  [gz],  see  sec- 
tion 47. 

54.  [s].    This  sound  is  represented: 
usually  by  s  or  ss; 


often,  before  a  or  o,  by  c  (that  is, 
with  cedilla":  see  section  67); 

often,  before  e,  i,  or  y,  by  c  or  sc; 


often,  before  the  sound  [j],  by  t; 

in  the  word  soixante,  by  x. 

For  the  representation  of  [ks],  see  sec- 
tion 49. 


EXAMPLES 

seve 

neuf  heures 


fine 
effacer 

philosophe 


dizaine 

vase 

deuxieme 

mes  amis 
deux  amis 


son 
casse 

[so] 
[ka:s] 

facade 

[fasad] 

ceci 

[sosi] 

cynique 
scene 

[sinik] 
[se:n] 

nation 

[nasjo] 

soixante 

[swasa:t] 

SYMBOLS 

[se:v] 
[ncevceir] 


[finl 

[efase] 

[fitozof] 


[dizen] 

[va:z] 

[dozjem] 

[mezami] 
[dozami] 


20 


A   HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 


55.  [3].  This  sound  is  approxi- 
mately equivalent  to  the  z  in  English 
"  azure,"  but  the  lips  are  protruded. 

Care  must  be  taken  not  to  confuse 
this  sound  with  the  ordinary  sound  of 
English  j:  [d^]. 

It  is  represented: 

before  a,  0,  or  u,  by  j  or  ge; 

before  e,  i,  or  y,  by  j  or  g. 

56.  [$].  This  sound  is  approxi- 
mately equivalent  to  the  sh  in  English 
"show,"  but  the  lips  are  protruded. 

It  is  represented: 
usually  by  ch; 
in  a  few  bookish  words,  by  sch. 


EXAMPLES 


jaune 
mangea 

je 

page 


vache 
schisme 


SYMBOLS 


[30:n] 

[ma3a] 

M 

[pa:3l 


Ml 
Kism] 


Nasal  Consonants 

57.  In  the  utterance  of  nasal  consonants  the  breath 
passes  through  both  the  mouth  and  the  nose.  In  the  mouth 
the  breath  is  first  completely  stopped  and  then  suddenly 
released,  as  in  the  explosive  consonants. 


58.  [m].    This  sound  is  represented: 
by  m  or  mm. 

59.  [n].    This  sound  is  more  dis- 
tinctly dental  than  the  English  n. 

It  is  represented: 
by  n  or  nn. 


EXAMPLES 

mais 
femme 


nous 
donner 


SYMBOLS 

[me] 
[fam] 


[nu] 
[done] 


60.   [n].    This  sound  is  formed  by  combining  the  articu- 
lation of  [n]  with  that  of  [j].    The  tip  of  the  tongue  rests 


CONSONANTS 


21 


against  the  lower  teeth,  while  the  blade  of  the  tongue  is 
arched  against  the  hard  palate. 

Care  must  be  taken  not  to  confuse  this  sound  with  the 
phonetic  combination  [nj],  occurring,  for  instance,  in  the 
French  panier  [panje]  and  the  English  "union." 


This  sound  is  represented: 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBOLS 

usually  by  gn; 

digne 

[dijil 

in  the  word  oignon  and  its  derivatives, 
by  ign. 

oignon 

[ono] 

Trilled  Consonants 

61.  French  has  two  r  sounds,  [r]  and  [r].  The  sound  [r] 
is  called  lingual  r,  and  the  sound  [r]  uvular  r. 

In  the  formation  of  the  sound  [r]  the  tip  of  the  tongue  is 
trilled  by  making  it  vibrate  against  the  upper  teeth. 

In  the  formation  of  the  sound  [r]  the  tongue  is  drawn 
back,  and  the  uvula  is  made  to  vibrate  against  it. 

Some  Frenchmen  employ  only  the  sound  [r],  some  only 
the  sound  [r].  We  use  in  this  book  only  the  symbol  [r],  but 
suggest  that  the  teacher,  if  he  so  prefers,  direct  his  class  to 
regard  the  symbol  [r]  as  representing  the  uvular  r. 


The  r  sounds  are  represented: 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBO] 

usually  by  r  or  rr; 

gare 
arret 

[ga:r] 
[are] 

in  a  few  bookish  words,  by  rh  or  rrh. 

rhume 
catarrhe 

[rym] 
[katair] 

Lateral  Consonant 

62.  [1].  This  sound  is  articulated  against  the  upper  teeth, 
the  voice  escaping  at  the  sides  of  the  tongue. 

It  differs  notably  from  the  English  I.  In  the  French  [1] 
the  tip  of  the  tongue  rests  against  the  upper  teeth,  and  the 


22 


A   HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 


back  of  the  tongue  is  relatively  low;  in  the  English  sound 
the  tip  rests  against  the  upper  gums,  and  the  back  is  raised 
toward  the  soft  palate.  In  certain  English  words  —  as 
"call"  —  in  which  the  I  is  final,  the  tip  of  the  tongue  drops 
back  during  the  utterance  of  the  I:  this  must  be  avoided  in 
the  utterance  of  the  French  sound. 


This  sound  is  represented: 
by  I  or  11. 


EXAMPLES 

pale 
aller 


SYMBOLS 

[pa:l] 
[ale] 


63.  TABLE  OF  SOUNDS,  USUAL  SPELLINGS,  AND 
EXAMPLES 


SOUNDS 

USUAL   SPELLINGS 

EXAMPLES 

Vowels 

Oral 

Front 

[i] 

i,i 

fini,  ile 

[e] 

e,  e,  ai 

et,  ete,  gai 

[8] 

e,  e,  e,  ai,  ai,  ei 

met,  des,  bete, 

* 

fait,  faite,  peine 

[a] 

a 

patte 

Back 

[a] 

a,  a 

pas,  ame 

[o] 

o,  au 

fort,  aurai 

[o] 

o,  6,  au,  eau 

nos,  tot,  aux,  beau 

[u] 

ou,  ou 

sou,  gout 

Mixed 

[y] 

u,  u 

une,  du 

[0] 

eu,  eu,  ceu 

feu,  jeuner,  nceud 

[ce] 

eu,  oeu 

peuple,  sceur 

M 

e 

de 

Nasal 

[e] 

aim,  ain,  eim,  ein, 

faim,  sainte,  Reims,  sein, 

im,  in,  en 

simple,  vin,  bien 

[5] 

am,  an,  em,  en 

camp,  dans,  temps,  dent 

[5] 

om,  on 

dom,  onze 

[ce] 

um,  un,  eun 

parfum,  un,  jeun 

TABLE    OF   SOUNDS,    USUAL   SPELLINGS,    EXAMPLES      23 


Semiconsonants 

[J] 

y,  i,  1,  ill,  il 

yeux,  bien,  paien, 
bataillon,  betail 

M 

u 

cuisine 

[w] 

ou 

oui 

Combinations  of 
semiconsonants 
and  vowels 

[ij] 
lii] 
[qij] 
[wa] 

yi,  ii,  ill 
illi 

uy 
oi,  ot 

payions,  priions,  pavilion 

taillis 

fuyard 

foi,  boite 

[waj] 
[wa] 

oy 
oi,  ot 

moyen 
bois,  cloitre 

[we] 

oin 

soin 

Consonants 

Explosive 

[b] 

b,  bb 

bas,  abbe* 

[p] 
[d] 

P,  PP 
d,  dd 

pas,  appeler 
aide,  addition 

[t] 

t,  tt 

ton,  mette 

Fricative 

[g] 
M 
M 

g$  gg,  gu 
c,  cc,  qu 

V 

aigu,  aggraver,  guide 
lac,  accuser,  quand 
seve 

[13 

f,ff 

fine,  effacer 

[z] 

z,  s 

dizaine,  vase 

[s] 

s,  ss,  c,  9,  sc,  t 

son,  casse,  facade,  ceci, 
scene,  nation 

[3] 

ES3 

J,  ge,  g 
ch 

jaune,  mangea,  page 
vache 

Nasal 

[m] 

m,  mm 

mais,  femme 

[n] 

n,  nn 

nous,  donner 

Trilled 

gn 
r,  rr 

digne 
gare,  arret 

Lateral 

[1] 

1,11 

pale,  aller 

Combinations  of 
consonants 

[gz] 
[ks] 

X 

X 

exiler 
texte 

24 


A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 


LETTERS  AND  SIGNS 

64.  Alphabet.  The  letters  of  the  French  alphabet  are  the 
same  as  those  of  the  English  alphabet.  The  letter  k,  how- 
ever, occurs  only  in  bookish  or  foreign  words,  and  the  letter 
w  occurs  only  in  foreign  words:  see  sections  96  and  97. 

The  following  table  shows  in  the  second  and  third  columns  the 
regular  names  of  the  French  letters  and  the  pronunciation  of  those 
names.  In  spelling,  special  identifying  sounds  are  now  used  for  most 
of  the  consonant  letters,  instead  of  the  regular  names.  These  sounds 
are  given  in  the  fourth  column  of  the  table. 


LETTERS 

NAMES 

PRONUNCIATION   OF   NAMES 

IDENTIFYING  SOUNDS 

a 

a 

[a] 

b 

be 

[be] 

[be] 

c 

ce- 

[se] 

M 

d 

de" 

[de] 

m 

e 

e 

[e] 

f 

effe 

[ef] 

[fa] 

g 

ge 

[3e] 

[sa] 

h 

ache 

EaS] 

i 

i 

[i] 

J 

ji 

[3i] 

k 

ka 

[ka] 

1 

elle 

[el] 

M 

m 

emme 

[em] 

[ma] 

n 

enne 

[en] 

M 

0 

0 

[o] 

P 

pe 

[pe] 

[pa] 

q 

ku  or  ke" 

Iky],  [ke] 

Pra] 

r 

erre 

[e:r] 

[ro] 

s 

esse 

[es] 

t 

te 

[te] 

M 

u 

u 

[y] 

V 

ve 

[ve] 

w 

w 

double  ve* 

[dublove] 

X 

iks 

[iks] 

y 

i  grec 

[igrek] 

z 

zede 

[zed] 

LETTERS  AND   SIGNS 


25 


65.  Accents.  French  has  three 
written  accents,  which  are  placed 
over  vowel-letters  in  certain  words : 
',  the  acute  accent;  N,  the  grave; 
and  A ,  the  circumflex. 

The  acute  accent  appears  only 
on  e.  The  grave  appears  on  a  as 
final;  on  e  as  initial  or  medial;  and 
on  u  in  the  word  ou,  "  where." 
The  circumflex  appears  on  all  five 
of  the  vowel-letters. 

These  accents  do  not  denote 
stress.  In  some  cases  they  serve 
to  indicate  the  pronunciation  of 
the  vowel-letter  in  question;  in 
some  cases  they  serve  to  differen- 
tiate words  otherwise  alike  in  spell- 
ing; in  some  cases  they  serve  no 
present  function.  The  letter  e,  for 
example,  has  the  sound  [e],  where- 
as e  has  the  sound  [e];  du  means 
"of  the,"  whereas  du  means  "  due." 

The  French  names  for  the  ac- 
cents are  accent  aigu,  [aksategy]; 
accent  grave,  [aksagrai v] ;  and  accent 
circonflexe,  [aksasirkofleks]. 

66.  Diaeresis.  The  diaeresis,  a 
sign  consisting  of  two  dots  close  to- 
gether, appears  in  certain  words 
on  the  letter  i,  usually  to  indicate 
that  the  i  is  separate  in  pronuncia- 
tion from  the  preceding  vowel.  It 
is  written  arbitrarily  in  the  words 
iambe  and  iambique. 


EXAMPLES 


ete 

[ete] 

la 

[la] 

es 

[es] 

scene 

[se:n] 

ou 

[u] 

age 

[ai3] 

bete 

[beit] 

lie 

[id] 

cote 

[ko:t] 

du 

[dy] 

nai'f 

coincidence 

aieul 


iambe 


SYMBOLS 


[naif] 

[koesidctis] 

[ajcel] 


[ja>t>] 


26 


A  HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 


It  appears  also,  in  certain  words, 
on  the  letter  e.  It  is  written  in  the 
word  Noel  to  indicate  that  the  e  is  Noel  [noel] 

separate  in  pronunciation  from  the 
preceding  o.  It  appears  in  certain 
words  on  a  final  e  preceded  by  gu,  aigue  [egy] 

to  indicate  that  the  preceding  u 
is  sounded  (u  in  this  ending  is 
generally  silent:  see  section  91). 

It  appears  also,  with  varying 
function,  in  certain  proper  names: 
see  section  97. 

The  French  name  for  the  diaere- 
sis is  tre'ma,  [trema]. 

67.  Cedilla.    The  cedilla,  ^  ,  ap-  facade  [fasad] 
pears  under  the  letter  c  when  the  lecon  [las5] 
c  designates  the  sound  [s]  before  recu  [rasy] 
a,  o,  or  u. 

The  French  name  for  the  cedilla 
is  cedille,  [sediij]. 

LETTERS 

68.  Double  Consonant-Letters.  A  double  consonant- 
letter  is,  in  most  cases,  pronounced  as  if  it  were  a  single 
consonant-letter:  that  is,  it  represents  a  single  sound. 
Exceptions  to  this  general  statement  will  be  noted  for  the 
individual  consonant-letters. 

In  many  scientific  words  of  Greek  or  Latin  origin,  how- 
ever, double  consonant-letters  are  held  in  utterance  twice  or 
nearly  twice  as  long  as  single  consonant-letters;  and  in 
formal  speech  a  double  consonant-letter  that  would  under 
ordinary  conditions  be  pronounced  as  a  single  consonant- 
letter  may  be  held  in  utterance  for  twice  or  nearly  twice  the 
normal  period. 


letters:  a 


27 


69.  Final  Consonant-Letters.  Most  consonant-letters, 
when  final,  are  silent.  Final  c,  /,  I,  and  q  are  however  gen- 
erally pronounced.  Exceptions  to  these  general  statements 
will  be  noted  for  the  individual  consonant-letters. 

The  addition  of  s  to  a  noun  or  adjective,  to  indicate  that 
it  is  plural,  does  not  alter  the  pronunciation  of  the  word.  In 
a  word  which  ends  in  the  singular  form  with  a  silent  con- 
sonant-letter, that  letter  remains  silent  before  the  plural  s; 
and  in  a  word  which  ends  in  the  singular  with  a  sounded 
consonant-letter,  that  letter  retains  the  same  sound  before 
the  plural  s.1  The  word  "final,"  as  used  in  sections  71-95, 
applies  to  consonant-letters  immediately  followed  by  plural 
s,  as  well  as  to  consonant-letters  which  are  actually  final. 


70.  A.  The  letter  a  is 
pronounced  as  follows: 

SOUNDS 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBOLS 

When  independent  (that 
is,  when  not  "in  combi- 
nation," as  specified  be- 
low) : 

Without  written  ac- 
cent: 

In  general : 

[a] 

bal 

patte 

tard 

Before  s,  when  the 
s  is  before  a  vowel- 
letter,    or   is   final; 
and  in  a  few  other 
words: 

[a] 

Evasion 

pas 

ah 

espace 

damner 

[evazjo] 

[pa] 

[a] 

[espais] 

[dane] 

In       the       ending 
-ation,  and  in  a  few 
other  words,  usage 
varies : 

[a]  or 

nation 

[nasjo]  or 
[nasjo] 

1  There  are  three  words  which  constitute  exceptions  to  these  state- 
ments: boeuf  [beef],  "ox,"  plural  besufs  [bo];  <euf  [cefj,  "egg,"  plural 
oeufs  [0];  and  os  [os]  "bone,"  plural  os  [o]. 


28 


A  HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 


Before  checked  m 
or  n  (that  is,  m  or  n 
before  a  consonant- 
letter  other  than 
m  or  n,  or  final: 
see  sections  83  and 
84.  Note  that  the 
checked  m  or  n  is 
itself  silent) : 

With  grave  accent: 

With    circumflex   ac- 
cent : 

In  general: 

In  past  absolute 
endings  of  the  first 
conjugation: 

In  combination: 

ai  is  pronounced  as 
follows: 

In  general: 


When  final  in  verb 
forms;  in  the  word 
gai  and  its  deriva- 
tives; and  in  the 
words  geaij  sais, 
sait,  vais: 

In  the  first  sylla- 
ble of  those  forms 
of  the  verb  faire 
which  begin  fais-; 
in  the  correspond- 
ing forms  of  com- 
pounds of  faire;  and 
in  the  words  /di- 
sable and  faiseur. 


SOUNDS 

rai 


[a] 


EXAMPLES 

ample 

dans 

plan 


ame 
donnames 


[o] 


aimais 

essai 

baie 

ai 

donnai 

gai 


faisant 
faiseur 


SYMBOLS 


[a:pl] 

[da] 

[pla] 


a] 


[aim] 
[donam] 


[eme] 

[ese] 

[be] 

[e] 

[done] 

[ge] 


[faza] 
[fozceir] 


LETTERS : 

A-B 

2 

Before   checked   m 

SOUNDS 

[e] 

EXAMPLES 

faim 

SYMBOLS 

im 

or  n: 

main 

[me] 

With  a  following  11 
or  final  I: 

[aj] 

bataillon 
travail 

[batajo] 
[travaij] 

at: 

[e] 

maitre 

[meitr] 

ao  before  checked  n: 

[a] 

paon 

[pa] 

aou: 

[u] 

aout 

M 

an  (for  eau  see  below) : 

When  not  the  last 
vowel  sound  of  a 
word: 

In  general: 

N 

aurai 

[ore] 

In  some  words: 

[o] 

aucun 

[okce] 

When      the      last 
vowel  sound : 

In  general: 

[o] 

faux 

[fo] 

Before  r;  and  in  a 
few  other  words: 

M 

Laure 
Paul 

[loir] 
[pol] 

ay: 

In  general: 

[ej] 

payer 

[peje] 

In  the  word  paye- 
ment: 

M 

payement 

[pema] 

In  the  word  abbaye; 
and    in    the    word 
pays  and  its  deriva- 
tives: 

[ei]  or 
[eji] 

pays 

[pei]  or  [peji; 

eau: 

[o] 

beau 

[bo] 

71.  B. 

Initial  or  medial: 

In  general: 

[b] 

bas 
abbe 

[ba] 
[abe] 

29 


30 


A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 


Before  s  or  t: 

SOUNDS 

[p] 

EXAMPLES 

observer 
obtient 

SYMBOL 

[opserve] 
[optje] 

Final: 

silent 

plomb 
radoub 

[plo] 
[radu] 

12,  C    (without    ce- 
dilla). 

Single  (that  is,  not  doub- 
le, and  not  "in  combi- 
nation"): 

Initial  or  medial: 

Before  a,  o,  u,  or  a 
consonant-letter: 

In  general: 

M 

caisse 
creme 
contact 
cure 

[keis] 
[kreim] 
[kotakt] 
[kyir]    ' 

In     the     words 
second,    anecdote, 
and  their  deriva- 
tives: 

[g] 

second 
anecdote 

[sago] 
[anegdot] 

In  the  words  lacs 
("snare"),       as- 
pect,    drconspect 
(the  last  c),  res- 
pect, distinct,  ins- 
tinct, succinct  (the 
last    c);    and   in 
the    verb     form 

silent 

lacs 

aspect 

vaincs 

[la] 
[aspe] 

[V8] 

vaincs: 

Before  e,  i,  or  y: 

W 

ce 

acide 

cygne 

M 

[asid] 
[sin] 

Final: 

In  general: 

M 

lac 
sec 

[lak] 
[sek] 

letters: 

B-C 

After  n:' 

SOUNDS 

silent 

EXAMPLES 

blanc 

SYMBOLS 

[bia] 

But  finale  is  some- 
times sounded  in 
the    word    done, 
when  spoken  with 
emphasis. 

In  the  words  accroc, 
broc,        caoutchouc, 
clerc,  crie,  croc,  es- 
croc,  estomae,  marc, 
tabae: 

silent 

accroc 

[akro] 

Final  c  is  sound- 
ed,   however,   in 
the  combinations 
de  brie  et  de  brae 
and  crie  crac: 

M 

eric  crac 

[krikkrak 

Double: 

Before  a,  o,  u,  or  a 
consonant-letter : 

M 

accord 

[akoir] 

Before  e  or  i: 

[ks] 

acces 

[akse] 

In  combination: 

eh  (for  sch  see  below) : 

In  general: 

In  words  of  Greek 
derivation : 

ra 

champ 
acheter 

[aSte] 

Before  a,  o,  u,  or 
a    consonant-let- 
ter: 

M 

6cho 

archange 

chretien 

[eko] 

[arkai3] 

[kretje] 

Before  e,  i,  or  y: 

In  general: 

19 

architecte 

[ar$itekt] 

In  a  few  words : 

[k] 

orchestre 
archetype 

[orkestr] 
[arketip] 

cq: 

M 

acquerir 

[akeriir] 

31 


32 


A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 


sc  (for  sch  see  below) : 

SOUNDS 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBOLS 

Before  a,  o,  u,  or  a 
consonant-letter : 

[sk] 

scandale 

[skadal] 

Before  e,  i,  or  y: 

[s] 

scene 

[se:n] 

sch: 

a 

schisme 

Rism] 

73.  Q: 

74.  D. 

W 

facade 
lecon 

[fasad] 
[teso] 

Initial  or  medial: 

In  general: 

[d] 

dent 
fagade 

[da] 
[fasad] 

Before  final  s  in  verb 
forms;    and    in    the 
words  fonds  smdpoids: 

silent 

assieds 

perds 

poids 

[asje] 
[peir] 
[pwa] 

Final: 

In  general: 

silent 

pied 
nord 

[pje] 
[no:r] 

In  the  word  svd: 

[d] 

sud 

[syd] 

In  liaison  (see  section 
105): 

[t] 

grand 
homme 

[gratom] 

75.  E. 

Independent: 

Without   written  ac- 
cent or  diseresis: 

Initial: 

In  general : 

[e] 

elle 
esquisse 

[el] 
[eskis] 

In   words   begin- 
ning   eff-,    essa-, 
esso-,  essu-;  in  the 
words  eh  and  et; 
and  in  some  book- 
ish words : 

W 

effet 
essor 
et 

ecclesias- 
tique 

[efe] 

[esoir] 

[e] 

[eklezjastik] 

LETTERS  I 

C-E 

Before    m    or    n 
(whether  checked 
or  not) : 

SOUNDS 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBOl 

In  general : 

m 

embarras 
emmener 
ennui 
enivrer 

[abara] 
[amne] 
[anuj] 
[anivre] 

In  the  word  en- 

[c] 

ennemi 

[enmi] 

nemi: 

When  denasal- 
ized  before  n  in 
liaison  (see  sec- 
tion 106) : 

[a] 

en  avant 

[anava] 

Not  initial: 

Before       another 
letter  in  the  same 
syllable:1 

Before  a  conso- 
nant-letter oth- 
er than  checked 

m  or  n: 

In  general : 

W 

cette 

aspect 

avec 

[set] 

[aspe] 

[avek] 

In  the  initial 
combination 
desc-: 

[e] 

descendre 

[desaidr 

33 


1  Note  on  Syllabic  Division.  The  pronunciation  of  e,  when  not 
initial,  differs  according  as  the  e  is  oris  not  at  the  end  of  a  syllable 
when  the  word  is  divided  as  in  spelling.  The  rules  for  this  division  are 
given  in  full  in  section  99.  In  general:  a  single  medial  consonant- 
letter  goes  with  the  following  vowel-letter  (except  that  x  goes  with  a 
preceding  vowel-letter) ;  the  groups  ch,  ph,  th,  gn,  and  all  groups  of  two 
consonant-letters  of  which  the  second  is  I  or  r  (except  11,  rr,  Ir,  rl)  go 
with  the  following  vowel-letter;  all  other  groups  of  consonant-letters 
(including  double  consonant-letters)  are  divided. 


34 


A   HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 


In  the  initial 
combination 
dess-: 

SOUNDS 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBO 

In  general : 

[e] 

dessin 

[dese] 

In        the 
words  des- 
sous      and 
dessus: 

b\ 

dessous 

[dasu] 

In  the  initial 
combination 

ress-: 

In  general : 

[a] 

ressentir 

[rosatiir] 

In        the 
words   res- 

[e] 

ressui 

[resqi] 

suiy       res- 

suyer,    res- 
susciter: 

• 

Before     mm, 
mn,  or  nn  in 
adverbs      in 
-emment  and 
a   few   other 
words : 

[a] 

recemment 

femme 

hennir 

[resama] 

[fam] 

[aniir] 

Before     final 
d,  ds,  or  z;  be- 
fore final  r  or 
rs  when  the  r 
is  silent  (see 
section     88) ; 
and    in    the 
word  clef: 

[e] 

pied 

assieds 

nez 

donner 

volontiers 

clef 

[pje] 

[asje] 

[ne] 

[done] 

[volotje] 

[kle] 

Before  finals: 

In  general : 

silent 

pattes 

[pat] 

In    mono- 
syllables: 

[e] 

les 

[lei 

letters:  e 


35 


Before  checked 

SOUNDS 

m: 

In  general: 

[a] 

In  a  few  book- 
ish words : 

[e] 

Before  checked 

n: 

In  general: 

[a] 

After  e,  i,  or 

y: 

In  general : 

[6] 

In        the 
noun    and 
adjective 
e  nd  ing  s 
-4ent     and 

[a] 

-ience: 

When    de- 
nasalized 
before  n  in 
liaison : 

[8] 

In  a  few  book- 
ish words : 

m 

In   the   verb 
ending  -ent: 

silent 

Between  g  and 
a   vowel-letter; 
and      in      the 
names  Jean  and 
Jeanne: 

silent 

EXAMPLES 

temple 
Luxembourg 

sempiternel 


dent 
essentiel 


europ£en 

bien 

moyen 

patient 


bien  aim£e 


examen 


donnent 


mangea 
Jean 


SYMBOLS 

[taipl] 
[lyksabuir] 

[sepiternel] 


[da] 

[esasjel] 


[ceropee] 

[bje] 

[mwaje] 

[pasja] 


[bjeneme] 

[egzame] 
[don] 


[ma3a] 


36 


A   HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 


At  the  end  of  a 

SOUNDS 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBOLS 

syllable: 

In  general: 

silent 

a  demi 

[admi] 

la  f enetre 

[lafneitr] 

un  petit 

[oepti- 

garcon 

garso] 

amusement 

[amyzma] 

donnerai 

[danre] 

amener 

[amne] 

enlever 

[alve] 

patte 

[pat] 

vie 

[vi] 

vous  le 

[vul- 

voyez 

vwaje] 

coup  de 

[kudva] 

vent 

In  the  follow- 

[8] 

ing  cases  the  e 

is  normally  pro- 

nounced as  [a] : 

At    the    be- 

Levez-la 

[tavela] 

ginning  of  a 

Ceci  est  bon 

[sasiebo] 

phrase : 

Le  cheval 
est  tombe 

[tajvaletobe] 

In  an  initial 

brebis 

[brobi] 

or  medial  syl- 

une fen^tre 

[ynfaneitr] 

lable,    when 

une  petite 

[ynpatitfiij] 

preceded  by 

fille 

two     conso- 

il vient  de 

[ilvjedbve] 

nant  sounds : 

lever 

In  an  initial 

relier 

[ralje] 

or       medial 

atelier 

[atalje] 

syllable,  be- 

donnerions 

[donarjo] 

fore  li  or  ri 

representing 

the     sounds 

W]  or  [rj]: 

letters:  e 


37 


SOUNDS 


In  an  ini- 
tial or  me- 
dial syllable, 

when       the 

next  syllable 

ends    in    an 

unaccented  e: 

In  future  or 

past    future 

endings  after 

the  sound  [j]: 

In  le  at  the 

end     of    an 

imperative 

phrase : ! 
Furthermore, 
an  e  which  is 
normally  silent 
may  be  pro- 
nounced as  [a] 
when  for  any 
reason,  gram- 
matical or  sty- 
listic, a  word  is 
uttered  excep- 
tionally slowly; 
as  for  instance, 
when  the  word 
itself  is  an  object 
of  discussion:2 

1  An  e  which  is  normally  pronounced  [a]  tends  to  become  [ce]  or 
even  [0]  if  for  any  reason  it  is  uttered  with  special  stress:  Donnez-le,  je 
vous  dis!  [doneloe  3avudi], 

2  In  the  formal  reading  of  poetry  an  e  which  would  in  prose  be  silent  is 
pronounced  [a]  unless  it  immediately  precedes  or  follows  a  vowel  sound : 

Sombres  jours!  l'empereur  revenait  lentement. 
[so:bro3u:r!  laparoeir  ravane  latama.] 
At  the  end  of  a  line  the  e  is  sometimes  pronounced  even  when  it  fol- 
lows a  vowel  sound:  France  ador^e!  [fra:sadorea]. 

In  popular  poetry,  however,  such  an  e  often  remains  silent:  II  6tait 
une  bergere,  [iletetynber3esra]. 


EXAMPLES 

devenir 
redevenir 


payerai 
cueillerai 


regardez-le 


le  pronom 

le  verbe 

1  lever ' 
trois  syl- 

labes:  fe- 

ne-tre 


SYMBOLS 

[davniir] 
[radavniir] 


[pejare] 
[kcejare] 


[ragardela] 

[laprono  39] 

[laverb  lave] 

[trwasilab 
fa  ne  tra] 


38 


A   HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 


SOUNDS 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBOLS 

When  there  is 

si  je  te  le 

[si3taldi] 

a  succession  of 

dis 

monosyllables 

c'est  que  je 

[sek3onsepa] 

ending  in  e,  the 

ne  sais  pas 

second,  as  a  rule, 

il  parlait  de 

[ilparle  do- 

is    pronounced 

ce  que 

skavusave] 

as  [o].     But  ce 

vous  savez 

que    is    almost 

always     pro- 

on me  le 

[omaldon] 

nounced   [ska]; 

donne 

and  le  and  ne 

si  je  ne  te  le 

[si3ontol- 

show      a   ten- 

dis pas 

dipa] 

dency  to  drop 

the  e  whenever 

preceded  by  a 

monosyllable 

ending  in  e: 

Before  y: 

[e] 

grasseyer 

[graseje] 

With  acute  accent: 

In  general: 

[el 

et6 

[ete] 

Before  -je: 

[e] 

donne-je 

[done:3] 

With  grave  accent: 

[e] 

m&re 

[meir] 

With    circumflex   ac- 

[e] 

bete 

[beit] 

cent  : 

With  diaeresis: 

In  the  word  Noel: 

[e] 

Noel 

[noel] 

In  the  ending  -gue: 

silent 

aigue 

[egy] 

In  combination: 

eau:  see  section  70. 

ei: 

In  general: 

[e] 

reine 

[rein] 

Before    checked  m 

m 

Reims 

[re:s] 

or  n: 

sein 

m 

With  a  following 

[ej] 

abeille 

[abeij] 

11  or  final  I: 

soleil 

[soleij] 

LETTERS 

:  e 

eu  (for  ceu  see  below) : 

SOUNDS 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBOL! 

In  general: 

[ce] 

neuf 
meurt 

[ncef] 
[mceir] 

Before  s  or  a;  fol- 
lowed by  a  vowel- 
letter;  before  t;  be- 
fore a  vowel-letter; 
or  as  the  last  sound 
of  a  word: 

M 

creuse 
deuxieme 
bleuatre 
bleu 
neuf  sous 

[kr0:z] 
[d0zjem] 
[bl0a:tr] 
[bl0] 
[n0  su] 

Before    checked   m 

m 

jeun 

[3ce] 

or  n: 

In  forms  of  the  verb 

[y] 

eut 

[y] 

avoir: 

eu: 

In  general: 

[0] 

jeuner 

[30ne] 

In  forms  of  the  verb 

[y] 

eumes 

[ym] 

avoir: 

ce    (for    ozu    see    be- 
low): 

Before  medial  ill  or 
final  il: 

[ce] 

ceillet 
ceil 

[ceje] 
[ceij] 

In  the  word  moelle 
and  its  derivatives: 

H 

moelle 

[mwal] 

In  a   few  bookish 
words,  as  initial : 

[e] 

cedipe 

[edip] 

ot: 

[wa]  or 
[wa] 

poele 

[pwail]  or 
[pwail] 

ceu: 

In  general: 

As   the  last  sound 
of  a  word: 

[ce] 
M 

ceuf 
sceur 
ceufs 
vceu 

[cef] 
[sceir] 

M 
[V0] 

ue  after  c  or  g  and 
before  medial   ill    or 
final  il: 

[ce] 

cueillir 
orgueil 

[kcejiir] 
[orgceij] 

39 


40 


A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 


76.  F. 

SOUNDS 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBOL 

Initial  or  medial : 
Final: 

[f] 

fine 
efface 

[fin] 

[efas] 

In  general: 

[f] 

neuf 
bceuf 

[ncef] 
[beef] 

In  the  words  cerf,  nerf, 
clef;    in    the    plurals 
boeufs    and    oeufs;    in 
the  combination  chef- 
d'oeuvre;   and   in   the 
numeral  neuf  when  it 
modifies      grammati- 
cally a  following  noun 
beginning  with  a  con- 
sonant sound: 

silent 

cerf 
bceufs 
chef- 
d'oeuvre 
neuf  livres 

[seir] 

[b0] 

Bedceivr] 

[n0li:vr] 

In  the  phrases  neuf 
ans  and  neuf  heures: 

W 

neuf  heures 

[ncevceir] 

77.  G. 

Single : 

Initial  or  medial: 

Before  a,  o,  or  u: 

[g] 

gant 
guide 

[g&] 
feid] 

Before  e,  i,  or  y: 

[3] 

gens 
age 

[ai3] 

Before  a  consonant- 
letter  : 

In  general: 

[g] 

gros 
augmenter 

[gro] 
[ogmate] 

In  the  words  doigt 
and     vingt     and 
their  derivatives: 

silent 

doigt 
vingt 

[dwa] 
[ve] 

Final: 

In  general: 
In  liaison: 

silent 

poing 
sang  impur 

[pwe] 

[sakepyir 

letters: 

F-H 

Double: 

SOUNDS 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBOLS 

Before  e: 

fe] 

suggerer 

[syg3ere] 

Before   a   consonant- 

[g] 

aggraver 

[agrave] 

letter  : 

In  combination: 

gn: 

In  general: 

w 

digne 

[din] 

oignon 

[ono] 

In   a   few   bookish 

[gn] 

ignition 

[ignisjo] 

words: 

78.  H. 

Independent: 

silent 

homme 

[om] 

hero 

[ero] 

T  homme 

[lorn] 

les  hommes 

[lezom] 

theatre 

[teaitr] 

In  some  words  initial 

le  he>o 

[taero] 

h  prevents  liaison  and 

des  heros 

[deero] 

elision     (see     section 

110).     The  h  in  such 

words   is   called  pre- 

ventive h  or  aspirate  h. 

This  h  is  normally  si- 

je le  hais 

[3olohe] 

lent;  but  in  the  expres- 

c'est une 

[setyn- 

sion  of  emotion  it  may 

honte ! 

hoit] 

be  uttered  as  an  aspi- 

rate, like  the  English  h. 

In  order  to  determine 

whether  initial  h  in  a 

given  word  is  or  is  not 

preventive,  one  must 

consult  a  vocabulary 

or  dictionary  in  which 

h  when  preventive  is 

marked  with  a  special 

sign— usually  a  star,*ft, 

or  an  apostrophe,  lh. 

41 


42                A  HANDBOOK 

OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 

In  combination: 

SOUNDS 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBOI 

ch:  see  section  72. 

ph: 

[f] 

philosophe 

[fitozof] 

sch:  see  section  72. 

79.  I. 

Independent: 

Without  written   ac- 
cent, with  or  without 
diaeresis : 

In  general: 

Before      a     vowel 
sound: 

[i] 

fini 
naif 

[fini] 
[naifl 

In  general: 

[J] 

pied 
aieul 

[pje] 
[ajcel] 

After  I  or  r  pre- 
ceded by  a  con- 
sonant-letter : 

[i] 

client 

[klia] 

Before    checked   m 
or  n: 

[e] 

vin 
coi'ncider 

[ve]  t 
[koeside] 

With    circumflex   ac- 
cent: 

In  general: 

[i] 

lie 

[w] 

Before  checked  n: 

[e] 

vinmes 

[ve:m] 

In  combination: 

ai  and  at:  see  section 
70. 

ei:  see  section  75. 

ill  medial: 

After       a      vowel 
sound: 

[J] 

bataillon 

[batajo] 

After    a    semicon- 
sonant  sound: 

[ij] 

cuiller 

[kqijeir] 

letters:  h-i 


43 


After  a  consonant 
sound: 

In  general: 

In  a  few  words, 
in  which  the  11 
represents  a  Lat- 
in 11: 

il  final : 

After      a      vowel 
sound: 

With  a  preceding  o: 

After  a  consonant 
sound: 

In  some  words: 


In  some  words: 

In  the  words  gre- 
sil  and  mil  ("mil- 
let"): 


ox : 


In  general: 

After  r;  and  in  a 
few  other  words: 

Before   checked   m 
or  n: 

In  the  word  oignon 
and  its  derivatives: 


ox  : 


In  general: 
After  r: 


SOUNDS 

[ij] 
[il] 

[J] 
[wal] 

[ilj 

[i] 
[ij] 

[wa] 

[wo]1 

[we] 

[o] 

[wa] 
[wal1 


EXAMPLES 


fille 

mille 
ville 
village 


travail 


poil 


fil 
il 
avril 

gentil 
sourcil 

gresil 


moi 
poil 

croix 
bois 

loin 


oignon 

boite 
croitre 


SYMBOLS 


1  Some  Frenchmen  use  the  sound-combination  [wa] 
others  use  the  sound-combination  [wa]. 


[fi.j] 

[mil] 
[vil] 
[vila:3] 


[travaij] 
[pwal] 


[fil] 

[il] 
[avril] 

feati] 
[sursi] 

[grezij] 


[mwa] 
[pwal] 

[krwa] 
[bwa] 

[lwe] 
[ojio] 

[bwait] 
[krwaitr] 
in  cases  in  which 


44                A  HANDBOOK 

OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 

SOUNDS 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBOLS 

80.   J: 

fe] 

Anjou 

[5a] 

feu] 

81.  K: 

M 

kilometre 

[kilometr] 

82.  L. 

Single: 

In  general: 

[1] 

la 

culte 

tel 

[la] 
[kylt] 

[tel] 

In   the   word   gentil- 
homme: 

[j] 

gentil- 
homme 

[3atijom] 

In  the  words  cul,  soul, 
fils,  pouls: 

silent 

soul 
fils 

[su] 
[fis] 

In  the  word  linceul: 

[11  or 
ft] 

linceul 

[lescel]  or 
[lesceij] 

Double: 

In  general: 

[1] 

aller 
balle 

[ale] 
[bal] 

In    initial    ill-;    and 
in     a     few     bookish 
words : 

[11] 

illusion 
alliteration 

[illyzjS] 
[alliterasjo] 

In  combination: 

ill  medial  and  il  final : 
see  section  79. 

83.  M. 

Single: 

Before     a     vowel- 
letter: 

[m] 

mais 

[me] 

Before   a   consonant- 
letter  other  than  n: 

silent 

temps 

[ta] 

letters:  j-n 


45 


Before  n: 
In  general : 

In  the  word  au- 
tomne;  and  in  the 
word  damner  and 
its  derivatives: 

Double : 
In  general: 

In  initial  imm-\ 


SOUNDS 

[m] 

silent 


m 


[mm] 


EXAMPLES 

amnistie 
automnal 

automne 
damner 


femme 
emmener 

imminent 


SYMBOLS 

[amnisti] 
[otomnal] 

[oton] 
[dane] 


[fam] 
[amne] 

[imminal 


Note.  The  vowel  before  a  checked  m  (that  is,  m  before  a  consonant- 
letter  other  than  m  or  n,  or  final)  is  nasal.  Initial  e  is  also  nasal  in 
emm-. 


84.  N. 

SOUNDS 

EXAMPLES 

SYME 

Single : 

Before  a  vowel-letter: 

[n] 

amene 

[amein' 

Before   a   consonant- 
letter;  or  final: 

silent 

chanter 
bien 

[Sate] 
[bje] 

Double : 

In  general: 

[n] 

donner 

[done] 

In  initial  inn-;  and  in 
a  few  bookish  words : 

[nn] 

inne 
annales 

[inne] 
[annal] 

In  combination: 

gn:  see  section  77. 

Note.  The  vowel  before  a  checked  n  (that  is,  n  before  a  consonant- 
letter  other  than  n,  or  final)  is  nasal,  except  in  final  -ent  in  verbs, 
in  the  word  monsieur,  and  when  denasalized  in  liaison:  see  section  104. 
Initial  e  is  also  nasal  in  the  words  enamourer,  enivrer,  enorgueillir,  en- 
noblir,  ennui,  and  their  derivatives, 


46  A  HANDBOOK 

85.  O. 

Independent: 

Without  written  ac- 
cent: 

In  general: 

Before  s  followed 
by  a  vowel-letter; 
before  the  ending 
-lion;  and  in  a  few 
other  words: 

As  the  last  sound 
of  a  word: 

Before  checked  m 
or  n: 

In  general: 

When  denasal- 
ized  before  n  in 
liaison: 

In  the  word  mon- 
sieur: 

With    circumflex   ac- 
cent: 

In  general : 

In  the  words  hopi- 
tal  and  hotel: 

In  combination: 

aoy  aou:  see  section  70. 

03,  ot,  ceu:  see  section 
75. 

oit  oi:  see  section  79. 


OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 


SOUNDS 


[o] 


[3J 
M 

[9] 
[O] 


EXAMPLES 


fol 
mort 

rose 

devotion 

tome 


mot 

mon 
mon  ami 

monsieur 


tot 
cote 

hotel 


symbols 


[fol] 

[moir] 

[ro:z] 

[devosjo] 

[toim] 


[mo] 


[mo] 
[monami] 

[mosj0] 


[to] 
[koit] 

[otel] 


LETTERS : 

O-P 

ou: 

SOUNDS 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBOLS 

Before  a  consonant 

[u] 

mou 

[mu] 

sound;    or    as   the 

tousse 

[tus] 

last    sound    of    a 

word: 

Before  a  vowel 

sound: 

In  general: 

[wj 

oui 

[wi] 

louange 

[lwai3] 

After  I  or  r  pre- 

N 

clouer 

[klue] 

ceded  by  a  con- 

sonant-letter: 

ou: 

[u] 

ou 

N 

ou: 

[u] 

gout 

[gu] 

oy: 

[waj] 

moyen 

[mwaje] 

86.  P. 

Independent : 

}    Initial  or  medial : 

In  general: 

[p] 

pas 

[pa] 

appeler 

[aple] 

psaume 

[psoim] 

In       the       words 

silent 

compte 

[ko:t] 

compte,       dompter, 

exempt,  prompt  (the 

second  p),  sculpter, 

sept,  and  their  de- 

rivatives;   in    bap- 

teme    and    related 

words;  in  the  words 

corps    and    temps; 

and    in    the    verb 

forms    romps    and 

rompt: 

47 


48 


A   HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 


Final: 

SOUNDS 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBOLS 

In  general : 

silent 

coup 

[ku] 

In   the   words   cap 
and  cep: 

[p] 

cap 

[kap] 

In  combination: 

ph:  see  section  78. 

87.   Q. 

Independent: 

In  general : 

M 

que 
coq 

[kok] 

In  the  numeral  cinq, 
when      it      modifies 
grammatically  a  fol- 
lowing   noun    begin- 
ning with  a  consonant 
sound: 

silent 

cinq  livres 

[seli:  vr] 

In  combination: 

cq:  see  section  72. 

88.  R. 

Single: 

In  general : 

In  final  -er  in  words 
of  more  than  one  syl- 
lable: 

[r] 

rue 

rhume 

cher 

[ry] 

[rym] 
Bnr] 

In  general: 

silent 

donner 

[done] 

In  the  words  amer, 
cuiller,  enfer,  ether, 
hiver: 

M 

amer 

[ameir] 

In    the    words    mon- 
sieur, messieurs,  volon- 
tiers: 

silent 

monsieur 
messieurs 

[masj0] 
[mesj0] 

letters:  p-s 


49 


Double: 
In  general: 

In  initial  irr-;  in  hor- 
reur,  terreur,  and  re- 
lated words;  and  in 
words  distinguished 
only  by  the  double  r 
from  other  words  of 
different  meaning: 

89.   S. 

Independent : 
Initial : 
Medial: 
In  general: 

Between  vowel-let- 
ters: 

In  general: 

In  compound 
words  in  which 
the  s  begins  the 
second  part  of 
the  word: 

In  trans-  before  a 
vowel-letter: 

In  general: 

In  the  words 
transir  and  tran- 
sept: 

In  asbeste,  balsa- 
mine,  presbyte,  and 
related  words : 


SOUNDS 

W 
frrl 


M 


[■] 


EXAMPLES 

arreter 
arrhes 

irrational 
horrible 
mourrais 
(c/.  mourais 


son 


tension 


oser 
vase 

antisep- 

tique 
vraisem- 

blable 


transatlan- 
tique 

transir 


asbeste 


SYMBOLS 

[arete] 
[air] 

[irrasjonal] 
[orribl] 
[murre] 
[mure]) 


[83] 

[tasjo] 

[oze] 
[vaiz] 

[atiseptik] 
[vresablabl] 


[trazatlatik] 
[trasiir] 


[azbest] 


50 


A   HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 


In  the  verb  form  est; 
and  in  the  words 
lesquels,  mesdames, 
mesdemoiselles: 

Final: 

In  general: 


In  the  words  aloes, 
as,  atlas,  bis,  cassis, 
cens,  es,  fils,  helas, 
ibis,  iris,  jadis,  laps, 
lis  (the  noun),  ma'is, 
mars,  metis,  mceurs, 
oasis,  os  (the  sin- 
gular), ours,  pathos, 
plus  (when  emphat- 
ic, when  meaning 
"plus,"  and  in  the 
combinations  en 
plus  and  plus-que- 
parfait),  relaps,  rhi- 
noceros, sens,  ensus, 
tous  (when  emphat- 
ic, when  a  pronoun, 
and  when  not  im- 
mediately preced- 
ing a  noun),  us,  vis 
(the  noun) : 

But  final  s  is 
silent  in  the 
combinations 
fleur-de-lis  and 
sens  commun; 
and  sometimes  in 
the  words  mceurs 
and  us. 

In  liaison: 


silent 


silent 


[s] 


silent 


EXAMPLES 


est 
lesquels 


mes 

[me] 

pattes 

[pat] 

gens 

l&] 

aloes 

[aloeis] 

fils 

[fis] 

OS 

[os] 

fleur-de-lis 


mes  amis 


SYMBOLS 


[e] 

[lekel] 


[flcerdoli] 


[mezami] 


letters:  s-t 


51 


In  combination: 
sc,  sch:  see  section  72. 

90.  T. 

Initial : 

Medial: 
In  general: 

Before  *,  followed  by  a 
vowel: 

In  general: 


In  the  endings  -tie, 
-tien,  -tier,  -tiers, 
-Heme;  and  in  the 
ending  -tie  after  a 
consonant: 


In  general: 


In    the    words 
balbutier,  differen- 
tier,  initier,  trans- 
substantier,  inep- 
tie,  inertie: 
After  s  or  x;  when 
the  t  is  the  last  letter 
of  a  verb  stem;  and 
in  the  words  gali- 
matias and  etioler: 

In  the  words  asthme 
and  isthme;  and  in  the 
verb  forms  bats,  mets, 
vets: 


SOUNDS 


[t] 


[t] 


[t] 


[s] 


[t] 


silent 


EXAMPLES 


theatre 

tiare 

ton 

bete 
patte 


nation 
balbutie- 
ment 
democratic 


amitie* 

chr^tien 

partie 

balbutier 


question 
portiez 


asthme 
bats 


SYMBOLS 


[teaitr] 

[tjair] 

[to] 

[beit] 
[pat] 


[nasjo] 
[balbysima] 

[demokrasi] 


[amitje] 
[kretje] 
[parti] 

[balbysje] 


[kestjo] 
[portje] 


[asm] 
[ba] 


52 


A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 


Final: 

SOUNDS 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBOLS 

In  general: 

silent 

font 

[fo] 

donnent 

[don] 

In    the    words    brut, 

ra 

brut 

[bryt] 

chut,  dot,  fat,  huit,  lut, 

compact 

[kopakt] 

mat,  net;  compact,  con- 

sept 

[set] 

tact,  correct,  direct,  ex- 

est 

[est] 

act,  infect,  intact,  tact, 

strict;  sept,  transept;  est 

("east"),   ouest,   zest; 

and  in  soit  when  used 

as  an  adverb : 

But  final  t  may  be 

silent 

sept  livres 

[seliivr]  or 

silent   in  sept,  and 

[setliivr] 

is  always  silent  in 

huit  livres 

[qiliivr] 

huit,  when  these 

words  modify  gram- 

matically a  follow- 

ing noun  beginning 

with    a    consonant 

sound. 

91.  U. 

Independent: 

Without   written   ac- 

cent: 

Before  a  consonant- 

letter  or  final: 

In  general: 

[y] 

rude 

[ryd] 

tu 

[ty] 

Before  checked  m 

or  n: 

In  general:1 

[ce] 

humble 

[oeibl] 

commun 

[komce] 

1  Many  Frenchmen  pronounce  the  word  un  as  [§]:  un  jour,  [§3u:r]. 
This  pronunciation  is  condemned  by  the  purists. 


LETTERS ! 

T-U 

SOUNDS 

EXAMPLES 

SYMBOLS 

When  denasal- 
ized    before    n 
in  liaison : l 

[<B] 

un  ami 

[cenami] 

Before    a    sounded 
vowel-letter : 

In  general: 

M 

nuit 

[nip] 

After  g  or  q: 

In  general: 

silent 

guide 
quand 

[gid] 
[ka] 

In  forms  of  ar- 
guer;  and  in  a 
few   other 
words : 

fa] 

arguais 
aiguille 

[argue] 
[egqiij] 

In  some  book- 
ish words: 

N 

lingual 
equation 

[legwal] 
[ekwasjo] 

Before  final  silent  e: 

In  general: 

[y] 

due 

[dy] 

After  g  or  q: 

In  general: 

silent 

langue 
publique 

[tag] 

[pyblik] 

In  the  ending 

[y] 

aigue 

[egy] 

-gue: 

With    circumflex    ac- 
cent: 

[y] 

du 

[dy] 

In  combination: 

au,  aou,  eau:  see  sec- 
tion 70. 

eu,  eu,  ceu:  see  section 
75. 

53 


1  Many  Frenchmen  pronounce  denasalized  un  as  [en] :  un  ami,  [enami]. 
is  pronunciation  is  condemned  by  the  purists.    In  popular  speech  a 

i: i    •      _rx j    „„    r,~>i.   —    „.~:     r,™~,~;i       inr^u 


denasalized  un  is  often  pronounced  as  [yn]:  un  ami,  [ynami].  With 
regard  to  this  pronunciation  Martinon  says  (Comment  on  prononce  le 
frangais,  p.  149):  "II  est  peu  de  fautes  plus  choquantes." 


54 


A  HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 

SOUNDS  EXAMPLES 


ou,  ou,  ou:  see  section 
85. 

ue:  see  section  75. 

uy: 

92.  V: 

93.  X. 

Initial: 

Medial: 

In  general: 

In  the  prefixes  ex-, 
hex-,  sex-,  before  a 
vowel  sound: 

In  the  prefix  ex-  be- 
fore ce,  ci,  or  s: 

In  the  words  deux- 
ieme,  sixieme,  dixieme, 
sixaine: 

In  the  word  soixante: 
Final: 

In  general: 

In  the  words  six  and 
dix: 

But  the  x  is  silent 
when  these  words 
modify  grammati- 
cally a  following 
noun  beginning  with 
a  consonant  sound. 


foil 


[v] 


N 

[ks] 

\sA 

[k] 


silent 

H 

silent 


fuyard 
appuyer 


vceu 
seve 
livre 


xylophone 


axiome 

[aksjoim] 

exiler 
hexam&tre 

[egzile] 
[egzameitr] 

excellent 

[eksela] 

deuxi&me 

[d0zjem] 

soixante 

[swasait] 

voix 

[vwa] 

six 

[sis] 

six  livres 


[fqijair] 
[apuije] 

[v0] 

[seiv] 

[liivr] 


[ksilofon] 


[siliivr] 


LETTERS : 

u-z 

In  the  words  dix-huit, 
dix-huitieme,  dix-neuf, 
dix-neuvieme: 

SOUNDS 

H 

EXAMPLES 

dix-huit 

SYMBOLS 

[dizqit] 

In  a  few  bookish 
words: 

[ks] 

index 

[edeks] 

In  liaison: 

M 

six  hommes 

[sizom] 

94.  Y. 

Independent: 

In  the  word  y: 

W 

y 

[i] 

Before  a  vowel-letter : 

In  general: 

[J] 

yeux 
payer 

[j0] 

[peje] 

Before  i: 

[i] 

payions 

[peijo] 

Before   a   consonant- 
letter: 

In  general: 

[i] 

lyre 
hymne 

[Bit] 

[imn] 

Before   checked   m 
or  n: 

[e] 

nymphe 

[ne:f] 

In  combination: 

ay:  see  section  70. 

oy:  see  section  85. 

uy:  see  section  91. 

95.  Z. 

Initial  or  medial: 

[■] 

zele 
dizaine 

[zel] 
[dizen] 

Final: 

silent 

nez 
avez 

[ne] 
[ave] 

55 


56 


A   HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 


FOREIGN  WORDS 

96.  Many  foreign  words  (aside  from  proper  names,  for  which  see 
section  97)  are  frequently  used  in  French.  Some  of  these  words  are 
pronounced  as  in  the  language  from  which  they  are  borrowed;  some  are 
pronounced  as  if  they  were  French  words;  most  of  them  show  a  com- 
promise between  the  original  pronunciation  and  a  true  French  pro- 
nunciation. The  pronunciation  of  such  words  should  in  general  be 
sought  in  a  dictionary.'  A  few  such  words,  now  quite  naturalized  in 
French,  have  been  treated  in  the  preceding  sections.  Certain  additional 
principles  and  certain  special  peculiarities  may  be  noted  here. 


Vowel-letters  followed  by  final  morn 
are  in  many  cases  not  nasal,  and  the 
final  m  or  n  is  in  such  cases  sounded. 
The  letter  e  is  in  such  cases  pro- 
nounced [e],  and  u  is  pronounced  [o]. 

Final  ay  and  ey  are  pronounced  as  [e]. 

Final  b,  final  d,  final  p,  final  r  in  -er, 
final  s,  final  t  in  -st,  and  final  z  are 
sounded  in  many  words. 


Sh  is  pronounced  [$]. 

Um  and  un,  not  final,  are  pronounced 

[51. 

W  and  wh  are  pronounced  in  some 

words  as  [v],  and  in  some  as  [w]. 

Many  words  present  special  peculi- 
arities. 


EXAMPLES 


amen 

[amen] 

idem 

[idem] 

minimum 

[minimom] 

pensum 

[pesom] 

rhum 

[rom] 

tramway 

[tramwe] 

bey 

[be] 

club 

[klyb] 

nabab 

[nabab] 

talmud 

[talmyd] 

julep 

bylep] 

mater 

[mateir] 

blocus 

[blokys] 

cortes 

[kortes] 

omnibus 

[omnibys] 

ballast 

[balast] 

gaz 

[gcnz] 

shako 

[$ako] 

lumbago 

[lobago] 

punch 

[p5:$] 

tramway 

[tramwe] 

wagon 

[vago] 

whist 

[wist] 

almanach 

[almana] 

curacao 

[kyraso] 

czar 

[tsair] 

ghetto 

[geto] 

pouding 

[pudeig] 

revolver 

[revolve:r] 

shilling 

PH       , 

steamer 

[stimceir]  or 

[stimeir] 

SYMBOLS 


PROPER   NAMES 


57 


PROPER  NAMES 


97.  Proper  names  in  general  conform  to  the  principles  stated  in 
sections  68-95.  Many  proper  names,  however,  present  peculiarities  in 
pronunciation,  usually  because  they  are  archaic  in  spelling,  or  because 
they  are  foreign  or  of  foreign  origin.  In  cases  of  doubt,  the  pronun- 
ciation of  foreign  names  should  be  sought  in  a  dictionary.  Certain 
special  principles  and  certain  special  peculiarities  may  be  noted  here. 


Vowel-letters  followed  by  final  m  or  n 
are  in  many  cases  not  nasal,  and  the 
final  m  or  n  is  in  such  cases  sounded. 
The  letter  e  is  in  such  cases  pro- 
nounced [e]. 


Ae  before  final  n  is  pronounced  [a]. 
Final  ay  and  ey  are  pronounced  [e]. 

Final  b  and  d  are  often  sounded. 


En,  not  final,  is  often  pronounced  [§]. 


L  is  silent  in  proper  names  ending  in 
-auld,  -auliy  -aulx. 

Final  r  is  sounded  in  several  names  of 
more  than  one  syllable  ending  in  -er. 


S  is  silent  in  the  prefix  Des-;  and  in 
several  names  in  which  it  precedes  I, 
n,  or  t.  It  is  pronounced  as  [z]  in 
several  names  in  which  it  precedes  b, 
d,  or  r,  or  follows  I  or  r.  Final  s  is 
sounded  in  several  names. 


Final  st  is  sounded  in  some  names. 


Un,  not  final,  is  often  pronounced  [5]. 


EXAMPLES 

SYMBOLS 

Jerusalem 

Rotterdam 

Beethoven 

[3eryzalem] 

[roterdam] 

[betoven] 

Caen 

w 

Cambray 

Ney 

[kfibre] 
[ne] 

Achab 
Alfred 
Cid 

[akab] 

[alfred] 

[sid] 

Bengale 
Benjamin 
Pensylvanie 
Rubens 

[begal] 
[be^amej 
[pesilvanij 
[rybeis] 

Perrault 

[pero] 

Esther 
Luther 
Jupiter 
Necker 

[esteir] 
[lyterr] 
[3ypite:r] 
[nekeir] 

Descartes 

Delisle 

Aisne 

Estienne 

Lisbonne 

Alsace 

Arras 

Reims 

[dekart] 

[dalil] 

em] 

[etjen] 

[lizbonl 

[alzas] 

[ara:s] 

[re:s] 

Brest 

Christ 

Ernest 

[brest] 
[krist] 
[ernest] 

Brunswick 
Dunkerque 

[brosvik] 
[dokerk] 

58 


A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 


W  is  pronounced  [v]. 

X  is  variously  treated :  in  some  names 
it  is  pronounced  as  [ks],  in  some  as 
[gz],  in  some  as  [s],  in  some  as  [k],  and 
in  some,  when  final,  it  is  silent. 


Final  z  is  variously  pronounced:  in 
some  names  as  [z],  in  some  as  [s]. 
Final  tz  is  usually  pronounced  as  [ts], 
sometimes  as  [si. 


Many  names  present  special  peculi- 
arities. 


EXAMPLES 

SYMBOLS 

Wagner 

[vagneir] 

Aix-la-Cha- 
pelle 
Aix-les- 

[esla$apel] 

[eslebe] 

Bains 

Alexandre 

[aleksaidr] 

Auxerre 

[oseir] 

Auxois 

[oswa] 

Beatrix 

[beatris] 

Bordeaux 

[bordo] 

Bruxelles 

[brysel] 

Felix 

[feliks] 

Mexique 

[meksik] 

Xenophon 

[gzenofo] 

Xerxes 

[gzerseis] 

Xim6nes 

[kimeneis] 

Berlioz 

[berljoiz] 

Buloz 

[byb:zj 

Cortez 

[kortes] 

Diaz 

[dja:z] 

Suez 

[sqe:z] 

Vera-Cruz 

[verakryiz] 

Austerlitz 

[osterlits] 

Biarritz 

[bjarits] 

Fritz 

[frits] 

Metz 

[me:s] 

Auch 

[s>Sl 

Bayard 

[bajair] 

Biscaye 

[biskaij] 

Cinq-Mars 

[semair] 

Colomb 

[kolo] 

Enghien 

[age] 

Enoch 

[enok] 

Heine 

[em] 

Huysmans 

[qismais] 

J6sus-Christ 

[3ezykri] 

La  Fayette 

[lafajet] 

Leyde 

[led] 

Memphis 

[mefiis] 

Michel-Ange 

[mikela:3] 

Pharaon 

[farao] 

Poe 

[poe] 

Sainte- 

[setmanu] 

Menehould 

Saint-Saens 

[sesais] 

Saone 

[so:n] 

Stael 

[stal] 

Warens 

[vara] 

SYNTHESIS 


SYLLABIC  DIVISION 


98.  In  Speech.  A  French 
word  has  in  actual  speech  as 
many  syllables  as  it  has  vowel 
sounds. 

In  the  syllabic  division  of  a 
French  word  as  actually  spoken : 

a  single  consonant  or  semi- 
consonant  sound  between 
two  vowels  goes  with  the  fol- 
lowing vowel; 

a  group  of  two  sounds  of 
which  the  first  is  a  consonant 
and  the  second  a  semicon- 
sonant  goes  with  the  follow- 
ing vowel; 

a  group  of  two  consonant 
sounds  of  which  the  first  is 
an  explosive  or  a  fricative 
and  the  second  is  [1]  or  [r] 
goes  with  the  following  vowel; 

any  other  group  of  two  con- 
sonant sounds  is  divided,  the 
first  going  with  the  preceding 
vowel,  and  the  second  with 
following  vowel; 

any  group  of  three  consonant 
sounds  is  divided,  the  first 
sound  going  with  the  preced- 
ing vowel,  the  other  two  sounds 
with  the  following  vowel. 

59 


EXAMPLES 


geant 


SYMBOLS 

fee-a] 


amabilite* 

cochon 

passer 

payer 

travailler 

[a-ma-bi-li-te] 

MB 

[pa-se] 
[pe-je] 
[tra-va-je] 

nation 
alouette 

[na-sjo] 
[a-lwet] 

sablon 

apr£s 

mettrons 

[sa-blo] 

[a-pre] 

[me-tro] 

admis 

rhythmique 

examen 

acheter 

instant 

[ad-mi] 

[rit-mik] 

[eg-za-me] 

[aS-te] 

[es-ta] 

malgre" 

[mal-gre] 

60 


A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 


99.  In  Spelling  and  Writing.  The  rules  for  the  division 
of  a  word  in  spelling,  or  at  the  end  of  a  line  in  writing,  are 
as  follows: 


The  word  has  as  many  syllables  as  it  has 
vowel-letters;  except  that 

the  combinations  of  vowel-letters  listed 
in  sections  70,  75,  79,  85,  and  91  may 
not  be  separated; 

i,  u,  and  on,  when  representing  a  semi- 
consonant  sound,  may  not  be  separated 
from  a  following  vowel-letter; 

silent  e  between  g  or  j  and  a  vowel-let- 
ter does  not  count,  and  silent  u  does  not 
count; 

a  mute  e  after  a  vowel-letter  may  not  be 
separated  from  that  letter. 


Note  that  a  mute  e 
letter  does  count. 


after  a  coneonant- 


A  single  consonant-letter  other  than  x  goes 
with  the  following  vowel-letter. 

X  goes  with  the  preceding  vowel-letter. 

The  groups  ch,  ph,  th,  gn,  and  all  groups  of 
two  consonant-letters  of  which  the  first  is 
b,  c,  d,  f,  g,  p,  t,  or  v  and  the  second  is  I  or 
r  go  with  the  following  vowel-letter. 

All  other  groups  of  two  consonant-letters 
are  divided. 


A  group  of  three  consonant-letters  con- 
taining one  of  the  combinations  ch,  ph,  th, 
or  gn  is  so  divided  as  not  to  separate  the 
ch,  ph,  th,  or  gn. 


EXAMPLES 

ge-ant 
Meu-se 


bien-ve-nu 

re-lui-re 

oua-te 

man-gea 
Jean-ne 
lan-gue 
an-ti-que 

6-p6e 

par-tie 

ci-gue 

re-le-ver 
por-te 

a-ma-bi-li-te* 

ex-a-men 

a-che-ter 
di-gne 
sa-ble 
a-pres 

ad-mis 
ab-bes-se 
vil-le 
aug-men-ter 

ar-che 
ath-l&-te 


STRESS  61 


A  group  of  three  consonant-letters  of 
which  the  second  is  b,  c,  d,  f,  g,  p,  t,  or  v 
and  the  third  is  I  or  r  is  divided  between 
the  first  of  the  three  letters  and  the  second. 

All  other  groups  of  three  consonant-letters 
are  divided  between  the  second  letter  and 
the  third. 

Prefixes  are  however  usually  set  off  with- 
out regard  to  these  rules. 


EXAMPLES 

mal-gre* 
met-trons 


promp-te 
sanc-tion 


in-stant 
in-u-ti-le 


STRESS 
In  a  Single  Word 

100.  When  a  word  of  two  or  more  syllables,  as  amabilite 
or  premiere,  is  pronounced  separately,  all  syllables  except 
the  last  are  spoken  evenly  and  as  far  as  possible  without 
stress,  and  the  last  is  stressed.  Even  so,  the  stressed  sylla- 
ble is  weaker  in  French  than  in  English. 

The  stressed  syllable  is  called  the  strong  syllable,  the  others  are 
called  weak  syllables.  It  is  possible  however  to  distinguish  two  degrees 
of  weak  syllables,  namely  "secondary"  and  "weak";  and  the  tendency 
in  French  is  toward  a  succession  of  secondary,  weak,  and  strong  syl- 
lables. For  instance,  in  amabilite  the  first  and  third  syllables  have  a 
secondary  stress,  the  second  and  fourth  are  weak,  and  the  last  is 
strong.  In  the  group  voulez-vous,  the  vou  is  secondary,  the  lez  is  weak, 
and  the  vous  is  strong:  compare  what  is  said  in  the  next  section.  The 
American  student  should  be  warned  against  over-stressing  the  secon- 
dary syllables. 

In  Connected  Speech 

101.  Word  Groups.  In  connected  speech  words  lose  their 
individuality,  and  are  pronounced  in  groups,  as  in  the  En- 
glish phrase  "Not  at  all."  The  length  of  the  group  is  deter- 
mined by  the  sense  and  by  the  amount  of  breath  employed. 
A  group  of  closely  connected  words  becomes,  for  the  pur- 
poses of  pronunciation,  a  single  long  word. 


62  A    HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 

In  the  pronunciation  of  such  a  group  of  words,  all  sylla- 
bles except  the  last  are  spoken  evenly  and  with  little  or  no 
stress  (see  the  preceding  section),  while  the  last  syllable  of 
all  is  stressed.    Examples: 

Nous  sommes  ]oyeux.     [nusom3waJ0] 

II  veut  me  donner  cela.     [ilvomdonesla] 

Les  deux  voleurs  etaient  crucifies  a  ses  cotes. 
[ledo  voice  :r  etekrysifje         asekote] 

De  temps  en  temps  elle  relevait  la  tUe. 
[dotazata  elrolvelateit] 

Le  jeune  homme  doux  et  simple  aux  mains  meurtries  et  gonflees. 
[19303110m  dueseipl  ome  mcertriegofle] 

When  the  group  ends  with  a  word  of  two  pronounced  syl- 
lables the  stress  often  falls  upon  the  first  of  the  two.  This 
occurs  especially  in  words  ending  in  -on: 

C'6tait  la  voix  de  la  nation!     [setelavwadlanasjo] 

102.  Logical  and  Emotional  Stress.  Logical  and  emotional  stress 
are  obtained  by  stressing  a  syllable  not  regularly  stressed,  as  in  the 
English  phrase  "Sins  of  omission  and  of  commission": 

II  faut  se  demettre  ou  se  sowmettre. 
[ilfosdemetr  usosumetr] 

D'une  part  il  a  gagne,  de  1' autre  il  a  perdu, 
[dynparilagajie  dolotrilaperdy] 

impossible!     [eposibl] 

Miserable!     [mizerabl] 

In  general,  emotional  stress  is  made  in  English  by  reinforcing  the 
stressed  syllable,  as  in  "incredible"  or  "ridiculous."  In  French,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  stress  is  often  displaced:  "incroz/able,"  "n'dicule." 
But  when  in  French  the  stressed  word  is  in  a  group  of  words  and  be- 
gins with  a  vowel  sound,  the  emotional  stress  is  placed  on  the  second 
syllable  of  the  word;  otherwise  it  is  on  the  first:  "ce  miserable!";  "c'est 
impossible!" 


VOWEL   QUANTITY 


63 


VOWEL   QUANTITY 


103.  French  vowels  are  in 
general  short. 

But  stressed  vowels  are 
long  in  the  cases  enumerated 
below  (the  phonetic  sign  indi- 
cating length  is  i,  placed  after 
the  long  vowel) : 

Any  stressed  vowel  is  long 
when  followed  by  one  of 
the  sounds  [j],  [v],  [z],  [3], 
or  by  the  sound  [r]  when 
that  sound  is  the  last 
sound  of  the  word. 

A  stressed  vowel  written 
with  a  circumflex  accent 
is  long  when  followed  by 
a  consonant  sound;  ex- 
cept in  etes,  and  in  the 
endings  of  the  past  abso- 
lute and  past  subjunctive 
tenses. 

The  oral  vowels  [a],  [a], 
[e],  [o],  and  [0]  are  long, 
when  stressed,  in  many 
words  in  which  they  are 
followed  by  a  consonant 
sound. 

A  stressed  nasal  vowel  is 
always  long  when  fol- 
lowed by  a  consonant 
sound. 


EXAMPLES 


soleil 

[soleij] 

cave 

[kaiv] 

rose 

[roiz] 

rage 

[rai3J 

mer 

[meir] 

meurt 

[mceir] 

maitre 

[meitr] 

tete 

[teit] 

table 
miracle 

[taibl] 
[miraikl] 

reine 
tome 
meule 

[rein] 

[toim] 

[m0il] 

tante 


SYMBOLS 


[tait] 


64 


A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 


LIAISON 

104.  When  a  word  ending  in  a  consonant-letter  which  is 
ordinarily  silent  is  followed  immediately  by  a  closely  related 
word  beginning  with  a  vowel-letter,  with  an  h  that  is  not 
preventive,  or  with  a  y,  the  final  consonant-letter  of  the  first 
word  is  sometimes  sounded,  as  in  premier  an,  [prom j era]; 
vingt  arbres,  [vetarbr];  allez-y,  [alezi].  This  special  sounding 
of  a  final  consonant-letter  is  called  liaison  or  linking. 

In  ordinary  speech  it  occurs  usually  in  the  conditions 
listed  in  section  107,  seldom  otherwise.  In  poetry  and  dec- 
lamation it  is  used  more  extensively. 


105.  The  letters  n,  p,  r,  t, 
and  z  have  in  liaison  their  nor- 
mal values  [n],  [p],  [r],  [t],  and 
[z]. 

D  sounds  as  [tj. 

Fs  sounds  as  [v]  in  neuf  ans 
and  neuf  heures;  elsewhere 
as  [f]. 

G  sounds  as  [k]. 

S  and  x  sound  as  [z]. 

106.  When  n  is  linked,  the 
preceding  vowel  is  partly  or 
wholly  denasalized. 

An  e  denasalized  from  [a]  is 
sounded  [aj. 

An  6  denasalized  from  [e]  is 
sounded  [e]. 


EXAMPLES 


un  grand 
homme 

neuf  heures 
un  vif  interet 


sang  impur 

des  enfants 
deux  amis 


en  Italie 
bien  aimge 


SYMBOLS 


[cegratom] 

[ncevceir] 
[oevifetere] 

[sakepyir] 

[dezafa] 
[d0zami] 


[anitali] 


[bjeneme] 


LIAISON 


65 


An  o  is  sounded  [o]. 
A  u  is  sounded  [03]. 1 

107.  Liaison  usually  occurs 
(within  the  general  limits  in- 
dicated in  section  104)  in  the 
following  combinations : 

In  an  article  or  adjective  fol- 
lowed by  a  noun; 

In  a  plural  noun  followed  by 
an  adjective; 

In  a  pronoun  followed  by  a 
verb; 

In  a  verb  followed  by  a  hy- 
phenated pronoun  or  ad- 
verb; 

In  an  adverb  followed  by  a 
participle  or  adjective; 

In  a  preposition  followed  by 
its  object; 

Selon,    however,    is    not 
linked. 

In  certain  locutions. 


Liaison  occurs  often,  but 
not  invariably,  after  forms 
of  etre  and  otlier  auxiliary 
verbs. 


EXAMPLES 

mon  ami 
un  ami 


les  hommes 
aux  amis 
autres  hommes 

jours  heureux 
les  Etats-Unis 

nous  avons 
nous  les  avons 

dit-il 

donnez-en 

allez-y 

fort  &nu 
bien  aimable 

dans  une  heure 
des  a  present 

selon  eux 

pot  a  eau 
pas  a  pas 
mort  aux  rats 
sang  et  eau 

je  suis  a  table 
il  est  occupe" 
il  doit  arriver 
il  se  fait  aimer 
fais  attention 

but 
faites  attention 

1  See  the  footnote  on  p.  53. 


SYMBOLS 

[monami] 
[cenamil 


[lezom] 
[ozami] 
[otrozom] 

[3urzcer0] 
[lezetazyni] 

[nuzavo] 
[nulezavo] 

[ditil] 

[doneza] 

[alezi] 

[fortemy] 
[bjenemabl] 

[dazynceir] 
[dezapreza] 

[sol50] 

[potao] 
[pazapa] 
[mortora] 
[sakeo] 

foasuizatabl] 

[iletokype] 

[ildwatarive] 

[ilsofeteme] 

[fezatasjo] 

[fetatasjo] 


SQ 


A  HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 


108.  It  is  to  be  noted  that 
final  m  is  never  linked;  that 
the  t  of  et  is  never  linked;  that 
the  linking  of  other  words  end- 
ing in  -et  is  rare;  and  that  link- 
ing does  not  occur  before  huit 
or  huitieme  (except  in  the  com- 
pound words  dix-huit,  dix-hui- 
tieme),  or  before  onze,  onzieme, 
ouate,  oui. 


EXAMPLES 

sang  et  eau 
un  volet  ouvert 
les  huit  amis 
mais  oui 


SYMBOLS 

[sakeo] 
[cevoleuveir] 
[leqitami] 
[mewil 


ASSIMILATION 


109.  When  in  the  course  of  rapid 
speech  a  consonant  sound  which  is 
normally  voiced  comes  directly  be- 
fore a  voiceless  sound,  the  voiced 
consonant  changes  to  the  corre- 
sponding voiceless  consonant.1 

Similarly,  when  a  consonant 
which  is  normally  voiceless  comes 
directly  before  a  voiced  consonant 
sound,  the  voiceless  consonant 
changes  to  the  corresponding  voiced 
consonant.2 

When  a  consonant  which  is  nor- 
mally voiceless  comes  in  rapid 
speech  between  two  vowels,  it 
changes  to  the  corresponding  voiced 
consonant:  see  section  105. 


EXAMPLES 


la-dessus 

[latsy] 

m6decin 

[metse] 

coup  de  pied 

[kutpje] 

le  monde  civilise 

[lamotsivilize] 

monsieur 

[masjo]  or 

[msjo]  or 

[psjo] 

le  second 

[lazgo] 

avec  Jean 

[aveg3fi] 

archeveque  de 

[ar$avegdapari] 

Paris 

SYMBOLS 


1  Compare  the  pronunciation  of  b  before  s  or  t:  see  section  71. 

2  Compare  the  pronunciation  of  anecdote:  see  section  72. 


ELISION 


67 


ELISION 

110.  The  monosyllables  la,  ce,  de,  je, 
le,  me,  ne,  que,  se,  te,  and  certain  com- 
pounds of  que,  such  as  jusque,  lorsque, 
and  quelque,  drop  the  final  letter  and  are 
written  with  an  apostrophe  in  its  place 
when  they  immediately  precede  a  word 
beginning  with  a  vowel-letter,  an  h  that 
is  not  preventive,  or  y.1 

This  elision,  however,  does  not  take 
place  when  the  monosyllable  is  connected 
by  a  hyphen  with  a  preceding  verb. 

Elision  does  not  take  place  before  pre- 
ventive h,  nor  before  the  words  onze,  oui, 
uhlan.  It  does  not  usually  take  place 
before  ouate. 

Si  is  elided  before  il  or  Us. 


EXAMPLES 

Tame 

c'est 

d'hier 

j'ai 

je  n'ai  pas 

qu'avez-vous? 

l'yeuse 


est-ce  un  homme 
ai-je  ete? 
donnez-le  a  Jean 

le  hero 

le  onze  mai 

du  uhlan 


s'il  est 
s'ils  sont 


PITCH 

111.  Pitch  is  the  high  or  low  quality  (tone)  of  a  musical  sound. 
In  speech,  pitch  depends  on  the  number  of  vibrations  of  the  vocal 
chords  within  a  given  period  of  time. 

Since  a  short  body  necessarily  vibrate1?,  faster  than  a  long  one,  the 
voices  of  children  generally  have  a  K  aer  pitch  than  those  of  adults, 
their  vocal  chords  being  shorter.  B.  '.  speech  sounds  also  differ  among 
themselves  as  to  pitch:  [i]  is  W^Usr 'than  [a]  and  [a]  is  higher  than  [o].2 
In  general,  French  has  few -r  low  notes  than  English,  and  therefore  the 
same  voice  speaking  French  and  English  will  appear  to  have  a  higher 
pitch  in  French  than  in  English.  At  the  same  time,  emotion  has  a 
marked  effect  on  the  human  voice,  and  the  same  sentence  (or  part  of 
it)  will  fluctuate  in  pitch  according  to  the  emotional  element  in  it: 
see  the  following  section. 

1  Compare  the  muting  of  e  at  the  end  of  a  syllable:  see  section  75. 

2  See  Passy,  les  Sons  du  frangais,  7th  ed.,  §  150. 


68       A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 


INTONATION 

112.  Intonation,  the  musical  element  of  a  language,  depends  on 
the  proper  use  of  voice,  and  can  be  learned  adequately  only  from  a 
native  —  although  students  will  derive  great  profit  from  the  intelligent 
use  of  phonographic  records. 

It  is  important  to  remember  that  the  pronunciation  of  French  as 
compared  with  that  of  English  is  even,  harmonious  and  regular,  with 
a  clear  and  definite  articulation  of  vowels  and  consonants  (especially 
the  vowels)  and  a  more  or  less  equal  alternation  of  accented  (syllabe 
orte)  and  unaccented  (syllabe  faible)  syllables. 

In  so  far,  however,  as  intonation  is  a  rise  cr  a  fall  of  voice  in  pitch 
(often  quite  distinct  from  the  inherent  pitch  of  vowels  and  consonants), 
the  following  principles  may  be  noted  as  especially  applicable  to 
French: 

1.  In  French  the  voice  rises  or  falls  in  longer  intervals  than  in 
English.    The  range  may  be  an  entire  octave. 

2.  The  last  syllable  of  a  breath-group  has  a  higher  (/)  or  a  lower 
pitch  (\)  than  the  others: 

Venez-vous  (/)?    Are  you  coming? 
C'est  triste  (\).    That  is  sad. 

3.  The  rise  or  fall  in  pitch  corresponds  to  the  connotation  of  the 
phrase;  that  is,  to  the  emotion  the  speaker  puts  into  it.  "Surprise" 
is  high,  "disappointment"  low;  "exclamations"  are  high,  "negations" 
or  "refusals"  low,  etc.  "Generally  speaking,  in  French,  a  comma  or 
semicolon  indicates  a  rise,  a  note  of  interrogation  or  exclamation  indi- 
cates a  more  marked  rise.  A  full  stop  indicates  a  fall,  the  end  of  a 
paragraph  a  more  marked  fall."1 

Est-ce  qu'il  est  ici  {/)\^  Is  he  here? 

Assur&ment  non  (\)!    \{£rtainly  not! 

II  a  perdu  maison  (/),  Jeirwe  (/),  enfants  (\).     He  has  lost 

home,  wife,  children. 
II  est  venu  seul  (/)\    He  came  alone!  (said  in  surprise.) 
II  est  venu  seul  (\).    He  came  alone,  (said  with  regret.) 

4.  Often  a  rise  is  preceded  by  a  fall,  and  vice  versa: 

Pour  qui  me  prenez(\)-vous  done  (/)?    Whom  do  you  take 

me  for? 
Enfin  (/),  que  voulez-vous  (\)?    Well,  what  do  you  expect? 

1  Passy,  les  Sons  du  frangais,  7th  ed.,  §  139. 


INTONATION  69 

Thus  we  may  mark  by  a  higher  pitch  that  which  is  most  important  in 
a  phrase: 

Elle  est  sortie  en  pleu{/)rant  (\).    She  went  out  weeping. 
A  tout  {/)  jamais  (\).    Forever. 
Parfai(/)tement  (\)!    Exactly! 

Owing  to  this  fact,  the  end  of  a  sentence  is  often  whispered  in  French: 
II  y  en  a  beau(/)couv.    There  are  many. 
N'y  pensons  {/)  plus.    Let's  think  no  more  of  it. 

5.  It  should  also  be  noted  that  not  only  single  syllables  but  groups 
of  syllables,  indeed  entire  phrases,  may  be  pronounced  on  a  higher  or 
a  lower  pitch,  according  to  the  meaning  that  is  desired: 

rTiens,  te  voila!"^  I  declare,  there  you  are! 

l_Allons  done. j   Come,  let's  go. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

(This  is  a  list  of  the  books  that  have  been  of  most  help  to  tke 
authors.  The  use  of  these  books  is  heartily  recommended  to  those 
who  wish  to  study  the  subject  in  greater  detail.) 

B.  Dumville,  Elements  of  French  Pronunciation  and  Diction,  Dutton, 

New  York,  1914. 
P.  Martinon,  Comment  on  prononce  le  frangais,  traite  complet  de  pro- 

nonciation  pratique  avec  les  noms  propres  et  les  mots  etrangers,  La- 

rousse,  Paris,  1913. 
G.  G.  Nicholson,  A  Practical  Introduction  to  French  Phonetics,  Mac- 

millan,  London,  1909. 
G.  Noel-Armfield,  General  Phonetics,  for  Missionaries  and  Students  of 

Language,  Heffer,  Cambridge  (England),  1915. 
K.  Nyrop,  Manuel  phonMique  du  frangais  parte  (translation  by  E.  Phili- 

pot),  3rd  ed.,  Picard,  Paris  and  Copenhagen,  1914. 
P.  Passy,  les  Sons  du  frangais,  7th  ed.,  Didier,  Paris,  1913. 
Idem,  The  Sounds  of  the  French  Language  (translation  by  D.  L.  Savory 

and  D.  Jones),  Clarendon  Press,  Oxford,  1907. 
K.   Quiehl,   Franzosische  Aussprache  und  Sprachfertigkeit,   Teubner, 

Leipsic  and  Berlin,  1912. 
Rousselot  and  Laclotte,  Precis  de  pronunciation  frangaise,  Welter, 

Paris,  1902. 


70 


EXERCISES 

(The  numbers  of  the  several  Exercises  correspond  to  the 
numbers  of  the  sections  on  which  they  are  based.) 

1 

a.  With  the  palms  of  the  hands  pressed  tightly  against 
the  ears,  pronounce  forcibly  "s,  z,  s,  z,  s,  z,  s,  z."  Note  the 
buzzing  in  the  head  which  takes  place  when  the  voiced 
sound  is  pronounced.  Note  that  for  the  "s"  all  the  sound 
comes  from  the  friction  of  the  air  at  the  front  of  the 
mouth. 

b.  State  the  phonetic  difference  between  the  two  words 
of  each  of  the  following  pairs  of  words:  coast,  ghost;  pace, 
base;  down,  town;  case,  gaze;  dog,  talk. 

c.  With  the  aid  of  a  hand  mirror  locate  the  various 
organs  of  speech;  note  their  form;  and  examine  the  move- 
ments or  changes  in  position  which  certain  ones  may  make. 


a.  Point  out  in  the  following  words  cases  of  the  represen- 
tation of  the  same  sound  by  different  letters  or  combinations 
of  letters:  he,  machine,  eat,  ate,  eight,  set,  many,  head,  rat, 
ask,  father,  all,  awl,  cot,  go,  thought,  though,  through,  enough, 
bough,  use,  loose,  lose,  knight,  writing,  psychology,  attention, 
fox,  asked,  nephew,  rose,  dose,  lies,  ice. 

b.  Point  out  in  the  same  words  cases  in  which  the 
same  letters  or  combinations  of  letters  represent  different 
sounds. 

c.  Point  out  the  silent  consonants  in  the  same  words. 

71 


72       A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 

8 

(The  phonetic  symbols  used  in  Exercises  8-54  have  the 
same  value  as  those  used  in  sections  8-54:  see  the  footnote 
on  p.  6.  In  doing  Exercises  8-62  and  the  Review  Exercises 
advanced  students  should  in  each  case  identify  and  spell  the 
French  words  represented  by  the  phonetic  combinations.) 

a.  Assume  the  correct  vocal  position  for  the  production  of 
the  sound  [i],  using  a  hand  mirror;  and  then  produce  the  sound 
several  times:  [i,  i,  i,  i,  i,  i,  i]. 

b.  Pronounce  the  following  phonetic  combinations,  each  of 
which  represents  a  real  French  word:  [midi,  si,  sis,  pip,  ni,  vi, 
vit,  fini,  ri,  li]. 

9 
a.   Repeat  the  sound  [e]. 
6.    Pronounce:  [e,  de,  ne,  bebe,  se,  ge,  le,  te,  ete,  epe]. 

10 

a.   Repeat  the  sound  [e]. 
*b.    Pronounce:  [e,  e,  e,  e,  e,  e,  e,  8,  e,  e]. 

c.  [el,  bel,  sek,  rest,  ferm,  set,  me,  le,  pe,  erne]. 

d.  [ete,  sede,  efe,  mete,  ese,  gete,  epe,  mele,  sete,  prete]. 

11 

a.  Repeat  the  sound  [a]. 

b.  Pronounce:  [a,  la,  ta,  sa,  ma,  dra,  papa,  frapa,  madam, 
kapabl,  lwa,  fwa]. 

First  Review:  Front  Vowels 

a.  [i,  e,  e,  a;  li,  le,  le,  la;  mi,  me,  me,  ma;  si,  se,  se,  sa]. 

b.  [ide,  imite,  ete,  eda,  inikite,  kapasite,  abi,  desizif,  defi, 
enmi,  kaptif,  avi,  ede,  evek,  sese,  atake,  amne,  kafe,  abe, 
aspe,  akademi,  aksepte,  apeti,  asistel. 


EXERCISES  73 

13 

a.  Repeat  the  sound  [a]. 

b.  Pronounce:  [a,  a,  a,  a,  a,  a,  a,  a,  a,  a]. 

c.  [ba,  pa,  ka,  ma,  trwa,  krwa,  klais,  pais,  part,  aitr]. 

d.  [laba,  kadna,  ramasa,  albaitr,  kasa,  pasa,  anana, 
amais,  amasa]. 

14 

a.  Repeat  the  sound  [o]. 

b.  Pronounce:  [fol,  kol,  sol,  blok,  kok,  kom,  som,  od,  kod, 
mod,  fors,  golf,  glob,  not,  o:r,  fo:r,  ko:r,  no:r,  doir]. 

15 

a.  Repeat  the  sound  [o]. 

b.  Pronounce:  [o,  o,  o,  o,  o,  o,  o,  o,  o,  o]. 

c.  [gro,  so,  o,  bo,  fo,  poiz,  o:t,  so:t,  toip,  so:s,  to:m,  grois]. 

d.  [oton,  kordo,  morso,  moroiz,  ormo,  porno,  monopol, 
mozole]. 

16 

a.  Repeat  the  sound  [u]. 

b.  Pronounce:  [lu,  ku,  du,  nu,  vu,  kuku,  gu,  pul,  mu,  tu, 
fu,  puir,  kuir,  duiz,  tuir,  bluiz,  kuru,  surd]. 

Second  Review:  Back  Vowels 

a.  Practice  each  of  these  pairs  of  sounds  back  and  forth, 
watching  the  lips  and  tongue  in  the  mirror  and  taking  the 
positions  vigorously  and  firmly:  [i,  u;  e,  o;  e,  o;  a,  a]. 

6.    Pronounce:  [i,  e,  e,  a,  a,  o,  o,  u,  li,  le,  le,  la,  la,  lo,  lu]. 

c.  [sup,  so,  post,  pa,  dra,  rest,  pli,  likid,  difisil,  viktim, 
bebe,  pedestr,  ebein,  ekraze,  maladi,  servis,  riske,  mone, 
modern,  kilometr,  lugaru,  feminist,  kolabore,  morfin,  dra- 
matist, kuto,  eskort,  motive,  moralist,  fulair,  emisfeir,  ner- 
vozite,  parad,  vudre,  poze,  dusaitr,  boku,  baskuir,  lila,  gato, 
metamorfoiz]. 


74  A  HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 

18 

a.  Repeat  the  pair  of  sounds  [i,  y]  with  vigorous  lip  action, 
mirror  in  hand. 

b.  Pronounce  these  pairs  of  words  with  vigorous  lip  action, 
taking  particular  care  to  keep  the  tongue  tensely  in  the  same 
position  for  both  vowels:  [di,  dy;  gi,  gy;  li,  ly;  mi,  my;  ni,  ny; 
si,  sy;  vi,  vy]. 

c.  Pronounce:  [ty,  kry,  ply,  ry,  ryd,  nyl,  bryn,  lyn,  dyp, 
myrz,  myir,  sy:r,  fytyir,  kyltyir]. 

19 

a.  Repeat  the  pair  of  sounds  [e,  0]. 

b.  Pronounce  these  pairs  of  words:  [be,  b0;  de,  d0;  fe,  f0; 
ge,  g0;  ne,  n0]. 

c.  Pronounce:  [f0,  p0,  v0,  d0,  0,  s0,  kr0,  kr0iz,  f0itr,  n0:tr]. 

20 

a.  Repeat  the  pair  of  sounds  [e,  oe]. 

b.  Pronounce  these  pairs  of  words:  [ef,  oef;  sel,  soel;  nef, 
noef ;  meir,  moerr;  leir,  loeir;  peir,  poeir]. 

c.  Pronounce:  [boef,  goel,  moebl,  voef,  poepl,  koeir,  sceir, 
loeir,  flceir]. 

21 

[la,  ma,  ka,  sa,  dasu,  lave,  sasi,  brabi,  faze,  masj0,  rapo, 
vanir,  optanir]. 

Third  Review:  Oral  Vowels 

[vu,  pu:r,  sere,  sel,  pa,  presi,  rapoze,  veir,  aloir,  valoeir, 
cer0,  filozof,  filozofik,  rival,  separe,  sykr,  aktoeir,  naivte, 
oratoeir,  valoer0iz,  moir,  model,  mikroskop,  maJonet,  inata- 
kabl,  imitatif,  gard,  galope,  prydri,  ryral,  syperb,  syrtu, 
syrpriiz,  pase,  po,  gro]. 


EXERCISES  75 

23 

a.  State  which  of  the  following  words  contain  nasal 
vowels:  tromper,  bien,  conter,  inimitte,  homme,  envoy er, 
iniquite*,  inviter,  monotone,  ennemi,  automne. 

b.  State  in  which  of  the  same  words  the  mornis  sounded. 

24 

a.  Repeat  the  pair  of  sounds  [e,  §]. 

b.  Pronounce:  [mem,  me;  vein,  ve;  sein,  se;  pern,  pe;  plem, 
pie;  trein,  tre;  gem,  ge;  lem,  le]. 

c.  [be,  de,  fe,  ve,  ge,  me,  pe,  te,  teit,  se,  seit,  seidr,  fe, 

feidr,  seipll. 

25 

a.  Repeat  the  pair  of  sounds  [a,  a]. 

b.  Pronounce  these  pairs  of  words:  [pa,  pa;  ba,  ba;  ta,  ta; 
ka,  ka;  ga,  ga;  a,  a;  ma,  ma]. 

c.  Pronounce:  [sa,  ra,  va,  la,  gra,  afa,  ta,  tast,  taipl, 
laip,  a:pl,  aigl]. 

26 

a.  Repeat  the  pair  of  sounds  [o,  5]. 

b.  Pronounce  these  pairs  of  words:  [bon,  bo;  don,  do;  son, 
so;  ton,  to]. 

c.  Pronounce:  [b5,  mo,  lo,  po,  plo,  fro,  poip,  roid,  o:kl, 
koit,  mo:t]. 

27 

a.  Repeat  the  pair  of  sounds  [ce,  ce]. 

b.  Pronounce:  [de,  brce,  kce,  defce,  komoe,  okde,  tribde, 
oeibl]. 

Fourth  Review:  Nasal  Vowels 

a.  Repeat  the  series  [e,  a,  o,  tie]. 

b.  Pronounce:  [deste,  me,  mota,  afa,  afe,  moto,  tato, 
paidr,  peidr,  aproeit,  afosa,  parftie,  silais,  kota,  trope,  eporttie, 
kelkoe,  lota,  apsolyma,  definitivma,  oer0zma,  yniverselmaj. 


76       A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 

29 

[bje,  dj0,  fjeir,  j0,  jeir,  lje,  lj0,  mje,  mj0,  njes,  pje,  pjes, 
rje,  sjel,  sj0,  sje,  sjen,  sjekl,  tje,  vje,  eseje,  batajo,  masj0, 
fceij,  kaje,  kobje,  koseij,  vjaid,  pa:j]. 

30 

[bi:j,  bijair,  bije,  fiij,  fijet,  fijcel,  gijme,  gijoim,  gijotin^ 
ki:j,  mije,  pije,  pija:3,  sijo,  tijai3,  vaniij,  3atijom]. 

31 

[baji,  koejiir,  vjeji,  peji]. 

32 

[qit,  nil,  bi^i,  fqi,  hp,  brtji,  sqi,  frqi,  plqi,  kijiir,  ekijel,  tqe, 
salija,  sqaiv,  vertq0,  ctepiji,  nqa^]. 

33 

[brqijeir,  kqijerr,  bnjija,  anqije,  apijije,  egqiij,  tijijo, 
esqije,  fqija,  eknije]. 

34 

[wi,  west,  fwe,  fwete,  alwet,  lwe,  lwoeir,  dwel,  dweir, 
mwet,  nwe,  nwe,  rwe,  rwe,  rwi,  swe,  swete,  vwe,  avwe, 
re3wiir]. 

35 

[wa,  waiz,  wazif,  wazo,  bwait,  bwa,  dwa,  dwan,  fwair, 
fwas,  kwa,  kwaf,  lwair,  lwai3,  mwa,  mwal,  mwan,  rawano, 
swasait,  vwasi]. 

36 

[mwaje,  fwaje,  lwaje,  lwajal,  nwaje,  swaj0,  vwajai3, 
vwaja,  vwajel,  dwaje]. 

37 
[bwa,  krwa,  trwa,  krwasa,  klwaitr,  pwa,  pwail]. 


EXERCISES  77 

38 

[fwe,  pwe,  pweit,  swe,  mwe,  kwe,  lwe,  lwete,  pegwe, 
pweidr]. 

Fifth  Review:  Semiconsonants 

[pjes,  vwajel,  vulje,  pui,  kwair,  mwaje,  tytwaje,  ruin, 
kwarto,  eseje,  esuije,  ojo,  gryjeir,  swe,  qit,  dopqi,  suiivr,  lje, 
pwaso,  fipjair]. 

42 

[bije,  bebe,  eberb,  barb,  babl0,  bonceir,  bopeir,  bulvair, 
byro,  b0,  beef,  bozwe,  be,  badi,  bote,  brce,  ble,  braiv,  bwair, 
tabl,  debri,  korbo,  blamabl]. 

43 
[pip,  pepe,  pepsin,  papijo,  pa,  aipr,  popyleir,  popjeir,  pul, 
pyblik,  p0,  pcepl,  poti,  pesne,  pase,  po:p,  prepare,  plypair, 
aipl,  kapris,  eklips,  espri,  apsolyma,  apstre]. 

44 
[di,  dede,  deste,  daboir,  danabl,  dofe,  dota,  dot,  duble, 
dyp,  id0,  pydceir,  doda,  dedo,  da,  verdce,  drapo]. 

45 
[titanik,  teaitr,  tety,  tatu,  tate,  bjeto,  totalite,  tutafe, 
tytel,  t0tonik,  tytceir,  ete,  atata,  tato,  setce]. 

46^7 
[gitair,  gete,  ge:r,  gair,  gato,  gotje,  gotik,  degute,  degyste, 
blag0iz,  blagceir,  ge,  gatle,  gone,  va:g,  lo:g,  groig,  egzekyte, 
egzakt,  egzaipl]. 

48-49 
[kite,  kepi,  keski,  kaket,  ka,  kokliko,  koko,  kuku,  kyltyir, 
k0,  koeir,  korel,  kezem,  kaka,  kikok,  kelkce,  sek,  ekrityir, 
ekwatceir,  eksatrik,  eksitabl,  pretekst]. 


78  A  HANDBOOK  OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 

51 

[vivifi,  vety,  verty,  vale,  vaiz,  volka,  votr,  voitr,  vudre, 
vylgeir,  nerv0,  vceiv,  voluir,  vedikativ,  vadrodi,  vivo,  vre- 
sablabl,  liivr,  vje]. 

52 

[fifr,  feko,  feibl,  falsifje,  faiz,  fosfoir,  fokol,  fulair,  fyzi,  f0, 
fceij,  fomel,  fe,  fdfair,  fotem,  defce,  frikase,  flanel,  eflcere, 
efrene,  swaf]. 

53 

[zigzag,  zero,  zel,  bizair,  zodjak,  zoin,  zyt,  liz0:z,  lizo3ir, 
reze,  foza,  mezo,  lezoe,  egzile,  egzame]. 

54 

[sis,  sesesjo,  sesasjo,  sasjete,  sosjete,  sosis,  susj0,  susj0iz, 
syspais,  s0,  sceir,  sosi,  seserite,  sasusi,  saso,  sfeiks,  skadal, 
slaiv,  spesjal,  staty,  fas,  espais,  frase,  eskis]. 

55 

foiza,  3ezy,  30,  3alu,  3or3,  30m,  3U3U,  3y:3,  30,  30m,  3ole, 
3e:dr,  3avje,  30glo3ir,  a3ce,  le3a:d,  sa:3,  bu3i]. 

56 

[$i$,  $e,  $eiz,  $ar3,  $a:s,  $okola,  $ose,  $u,  $y$ote,  pe$ceir,  ka$o, 
vi$i,  sei$,  $oiz]. 

58 

[mimik,  memeto,  me:m,  mama,  ma,  moma,  mo,  mule, 
mynisipal,  m0nje,  mcebl,  manqe,  me,  make,  mote,  pom, 
eterim,  mje,  mwa]. 

59 

[ni,  ne,  nef,  naif,  non,  nofra:3,  nuvo,  nymero,  n0$atel,  no3f, 
nesf,  nait,  nojalais,  yn,  bon,  benevol,  nasjonalite]. 


EXERCISES  79 


60 


[dijiite,  edijie,  ajies,  majianim,  minon,  ano,  swan0,  ete- 
nceir,  sejia,  ono,  diji,  ren,  kapan,  bulon]. 

61 

[ri,  riir,  reduiir,  rektceir,  rair,  ra,  rok,  roik,  ru,  ry,  cer0, 
orceir,  ropa,  re,  ra,  ro,  piir,  meir,  air,  foir,  puir,  pyir,  sceir, 
bri,  kree,  drese,  fraka,  gra,  propo,  tro,  vre,  aikr,  seidr,  kofr, 
meigr,  propr,  litr,  iivr]. 

62 

[li,  le,  le,  la,  la,  lok,  lo,  lu,  ly,  loeir;  le,  la,  15,  Ice,  il,  elit,  el, 
bal,  pail,  kol,  roil,  ful,  myl,  seel,  brail,  pli,  ble,  kle,  flak,  gla, 
slaiv,  tabl,  eklips,  aflame,  eigl]. 

Sixth  Review:  Consonants 

[inikite,  elevasjo,  vestibyl,  fanatik,  elais,  monoton,  fobuir, 
dulur0,  lygybr,  lyksabuir,  fug0,  oer0iz,  poeir,  dova,  deste, 
epresjo,  katite,  eteli3ama,  edispcisabl,  trope,  Sato,  lde,  epu- 
vatabl,  fiprce,  vjeij,  soleij,  fceij,  vwasi,  dwan,  swe,  lui,  dopuj, 
nqai5,  verti{0,  fijo3l,  baji,  wazo,  dwaje,  pwa,  bozwe,  kuijeir, 
prezopsjo,  apsolyma,  bateim,  tytoeir,  totalite,  dramatist, 
akutyme,  grasj0,  efoir,  bref,  volypte,  sasjete,  fizjolo3i,  $wa- 
ziso,  rofyi3,  3y3ma,  myrmyre,  anonim,  kopajii,  ridikyl,  tre, 
raidr,  liberte,  animal,  pretekst,  egza3ere,  roproduiir,  vresa- 
blais,  komce,  fryktii0,  kalifje,  $iryr3Je,  $edceivr,  rokfoir,  lj0, 
laba]. 

64-67 

a.  Recite  the  French  alphabet. 

b.  Spell  the  following  words,  using  the  "identifying  sounds": 
malcontent,  aisement,  orthographe,  patisserie,  gloire,  habi- 
tude, g6nerosit6,  national,  poursuivre,  n6cessit6,  construc- 
tion, chose,  zouave,  immense,  tramway. 


80  A   HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 

70 

(Each  of  the  several  Exercises  from  70  to  95  is  divided 
into  two  parts.  In  the  first  part  the  words  are  arranged 
in  the  order  of  the  rules.  In  the  second  part  they  are  ar- 
ranged alphabetically.) 

Write  the  following  words  in  phonetic  script,  and  pronounce 
them:  a,  va,  lave,  salle,  madame,  malade,  Panama,  base, 
bras,  camp,  lampe,  an,  sang,  sans,  dansant,  a,  la,  ane,  pate, 
dansames  (verb),  vrai,  fait,  paix,  aime,  aise,  aimais,  abaisse, 
dansai  (verb),  sais,  faisais  (form  of  faire),  bain,  sain,  mainte, 
faite,  faon,  Laon,  au,  faut,  aube,  autre,  Maure,  aura,  aurait, 
eau,  veau. 

Adam,  aidates  (verb),  aide,  aimai  (verb),  allais,  apaise, 
apre,  aune,  aurais,  aux,  balai,  bavarde,  beaux,  cadeau, 
caisse,  Canada,  canard,  cas,  cause,  cave,  faible,  faire,  faisait 
(form  of  faire),  fausse,  faute,  fauve,  franc,  grand,  gras, 
laisse,  ma,  maint,  masse,  pain,  palais,  parlai,  part,  pauvre, 
plaindre,  plan,  plante,  platre,  rampe,  rang,  rat,  saut,  saute, 
ta,  tain,  tant,  taon,  taupe,  vain,  vainc,  vase. 

71-74 

base,  abime,  arabe,  table,  arbre,  sabbatique,  absence,  ob- 
tenir,  aplomb,  cabane,  ecole,  cure,  crime,  oracle,  secondaire, 
respect,  cent,  vice,  cypres,  bee,  choc,  franc,  instinct,  broc, 
tabac,  accaparer,  accomplir,  accumulation,  accent,  Occident, 
cheval,  charge,  dechirer,  chronologie,  chaos,-  catechumene, 
chimie,  cherubin,  tachygraphe,  archeologie,  brachial,  acqui- 
sition, scapin,  scorpion,  bousculer,  scrupule,  scelerat,  science, 
schematique,  recu,  desert,  madame,  tu  vends,  grand. 

abbesse,  absolu,  accabler,  accepter,  accommoder,  acquies- 
cer,  archeveque,  archiepiscopal,  aspect,  Bacchus,  b£be,  bi- 
cyclette,  blamable,  bloc,  brise,  cadet,  ce*cite,  chimere,  chose, 
chretien,  chronometre,  clerc,  cocher,  colere,  Colomb,  eric 
crac,  diligent,  ^carter,  6chine,  eclipse,  fecule,  jonc,  menaca, 


EXERCISES  81 

nid,  obstacle,  occuper,  orchestre,  probleme,  racine,  sacre\ 
scabreux,  sceptique,  schismatique,  scintiller,  scribe,  sculp- 
teur,  sec,  seconder,  sud,  descends. 

75 

elfe,  escapade,  ethnique,  effacer,  effroi,  essai,  essoufler, 
essuyer,  et,  embrasser,  emmagasiner,  enquete,  enamourer, 
ennoblir,  ennemi,  il  en  a,  sagesse,  sec,  ferme,  dessert,  des- 
cendance, dessous,  destin,  solennel,  innocemment,  hennir, 
parler,  boulanger,  assez,  chanter,  livres,  mes,  ses,  novembre, 
remplace,  couvent,  dent,  rien,  doyen,  viendra,  chaldeen, 
parisien,  Orient,  patience,  inconscient,  ils  parlent,  changeons, 
gageure,  Jean,  medecin,  nettement,  acheter,  vase,  manque- 
rait,  allemand,  le  chemin,  debout,  regard,  bretelle,  crever, 
Richelieu,  relieur,  marcherions,  relever,  essayerais,  donnez-le, 
deVelopper,  je  le  veux,  je  ne  le  veux  pas,  je  le  demande, 
je  te  le  demande,  je  ne  te  le  demande  pas,  un  petit,  une 
petite,  la  legon,  la  bonne  lecon,  un  bout  de  cigare,  une 
botte  de  cigares,  le  cousin  de  Madame,  la  cousine  de  Ma- 
dame, beaucoup  de  livres,  une  douzaine  de  livres,  la  fenetre, 
cette  fenetre,  je  demande,  Charles  demande,  mademoiselle, 
une  demoiselle,  asseyez-vous,  rep£tez,  abb£,  chante,  pr£- 
occupe,  puisse-je,  chante-je,  eleve,  pere,  riviere,  espece,  tete, 
foret,  pretre,  cigue,  ambigue,  peine,  seize,  peigne,  teint, 
peindre,  sommeil,  merveille,  Marseille,  Corneille,  veuf,  jeune, 
peuple,  heureuse,  glaneuse,  deuxieme,  pleut,  deux,  peu,  a 
jeun,  eu,  j'eusse,  jeune,  vous  etes,  ceillade,  moelle,  ceso- 
phage,  cecumenique,  cceur,  ceufs,  bceufs,  cercueil,  recueillir. 

abaissement,  aigue,  aller,  ardemment,  avec  repos,  bel, 
berceuse,  bouchers,  bouteille,  brise,  c'est  ce  que  je  dis, 
chanteriez,  chevre,  chez,  chien,  chretien,  clef,  convenient, 
decide,  demandez,  de  ne  recevoir,  des,  descente,  descrip- 
tion, dessecher,  dessus,  dusse-je,  echange,  ecceurer,  effort, 
effronte,   eh,   elles  chantent,   emmurer,  empire,   employer, 


82       A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 

enivrer,  ennuyer,  enveloppe,  ere,  esclave,  espeYance,  essayer, 
essui,  et,  eteint,  examen,  femme,  fete,  feu,  feuille,  feutre, 
grelot,  idee,  il  arrive  de  Paris,  il  va  de  Paris,  ils  se  revoient, 
impatience,  jeuner,  j'eus,  la  cheminee,  la  petite,  le  lieu, 
lentement,  le  repos,  les  repas,  lettre,  mangea,  meme,  meuble, 
Meung,  Meuse,  moment,  mouvement,  Noel,  nous  eumes, 
cedipe,  ceil,  ceillet,  orgueilleux,  pa'ien,  pareil,  parle-je,  patri- 
cien,  peut,  plumes,  poele,  premier,  prenez-le,  prudemment, 
quotient,  redemander,  reine,  retenir,  revenez  vite,  rougeatre, 
s'asseyant,  second,  sein,  sembler,  sempiternel,  s'en  aller, 
seul,  severe,  sceur,  souvenir,  tes,  tout  ce  que  je  ne  dis  pas, 
une  petite,  veine,  veux,  vieille,  vceu,  voila  ce  que  c'est, 
volontiers. 

76-78 

facile,  faible,  femme,  refuser,  fifre,  effort,  chef,  nef,  juif, 
cerf,  clef,  ceufs,  neuf  crayons,  galant,  gonfler,  guerre,  gene- 
ral, gigantesque,  gymnastique,  agile,  menage,  globe,  maigre, 
doigtier,  vingtaine,  rang,  etang,  coing,  long,  sang  et  eau, 
agglomeration,  suggestion,  dedaigner,  Avignon,  signe,  im- 
pregnation, habitant,  harmonie,  heure,  histoire,  horloge, 
humilite,  hyperbole,  la  haine,  la  harpe,  trahison,  cahot, 
these,  theorie,  rythme,  phonographe,  phonetique,  philosophe. 

affliger,  agglutination,  ahuri,  apathie,  bceufs,  bourg,  chef- 
d'oeuvre,  compagnon,  designe,  diagnostique,  doigt,  £bahi, 
exagerer,  fleche,  futur,  gagner,  garde,  germe,  gilet,  gorge, 
gris,  guttural,  gymnaste,  habile,  hareng,  herbe,  hier,  hon- 
neur,  humain,  hygiene,  le  havre,  le  heros,  Theroine,  metier, 
nerf,  neuf,  neuf  livres,  orthographe,  photographe,  phrase, 
poing,  rage,  sang,  soif,  suggerer,  theologie,  veuf,  vinaigre, 
vingtieme. 

79 

ici,  iniquite*,  livide,  hair,  diable,  bien,  piece,  reliure,  pa'ien, 
brioche,  lapin,  evincer,  indien,  impoli,  timbre,  cointe>esse\ 
Nimes,  vous  dormites,  nous  tinmes,  fois,  moi,  froid,  mois, 


EXERCISES  83 

foin,  besoin,  boite,  cloitre,  grenouille,  cueille,  fille,  quille, 
papillon,  billion,  ville,  mille,  mail,  conseil,  exil,  fil,  profil, 
gentil,  gentilshommes,  chenil,  mil  ("millet"). 

abime,  bail,  baril,  billard,  bois,  chenille,  civil,  coindica- 
tion,  conseille,  croitre,  doigt,  famille,  feuille,  fin,  fusil,  gr£sil, 
heroique,  iambe,  idee,  il,  imminent,  impatient,  infidele,  la- 
biale,  loi,  million,  moins,  nous  vimes,  oignon,  outil,  pareil, 
principal,  publia,  rigide,  riviere,  roi,  sien,  simplement,  soin, 
tranquille,  vil,  village,  vous  vintes. 

80-84 

jaloux,  jeudi,  joie,  judicieux,  deja,  dejeuner,  bijou,  kepi, 
kiosque,  moka,  bifteck,  labourer,  lecture,  liberte,  locomotif, 
lumiere,  lycee,  eleve,  relief,  animal,  seul,  fil,  table,  gentil- 
homme,  soul,  illegal,  illimitable,  syllabe,  villa,  fille,  billion, 
billard,  travail,  fauteuil,  machin,  m^canicien,  menu,  miroir, 
muer,  animer,  camp,  septembre,  symbole,  impur,  faim, 
Reims,  parfum,  comble,  omniscient,  omnipotence,  gymnas- 
tique,  automnal,  condamner,  homme,  comme,  sommet,  im- 
mense, immoral,  nappe,  neige,  noce,  nymphe,  gen£rosite, 
&ne,  vent,  rien,  moyen,  ils  veulent,  honnete,  ennemi,  ils 
prennent,  innover,  Cinna,  vigne,  recognition,  enamourer, 
enorgueillir,  ennui. 

acajou,  ajourner,  Allah,  ann6e,  automne,  bel,  calcul, 
calomnie,  canal,  carnaval,  coke,  cul,  damner,  enivrer,  en- 
noblir,  essaim,  examen,  famille,  felicity,  femme,  flambeau, 
gant,  gemme,  humble,  ignition,  illettre,  illogique,  ils  flanent, 
ils  viennent,  immobile,  injuste,  inne,  innombrable,  jamais, 
je,  joli,  juin,  kilometre,  koran,  lac,  legume,  linceul,  lingerie, 
loisir,  luxe,  lynx,  mail,  malheur,  manger,  meler,  mimique, 
monsieur,  muraille,  mythe,  nage,  necessite,  nid,  nuance, 
nul,  omission,  omnipotent,  omniscience,  peuple,  recueil, 
rempart,  rossignol,  simple,  solennel,  somme,  somnambule, 
sympathie,  tombeau,  tranquille,  ville. 


84  A   HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH    PHONETICS 

85 

coq,  fort,  votre,  sotte,  monopole,  prose,  roseau,  notion, 
emotion,  zone,  lot,  trop,  piano,  son,  savon,  chantons,  oncle, 
sombre,  nom,  mont,  son  enfant,  cone,  Rhone,  le  notre,  ro- 
tisserie,  hopital,  aout,  il,  moelle,  poele,  ceuf,  ceufs,  sceur, 
voeu,  toi,  croix,  besoin,  boite,  chou,  poudre,  bouche,  course, 
couard,  douane,  prouesse,  inou'i,  degout,  loyal,  voyez. 

alouette,  blond,  bois,  brouette,  chose,  chouan,  clouer, 
colonel,  coude,  courage,  cyclone,  degoute,  douce,  encore, 
fois,  fouet,  fc^er,  hotel,  jonc,  le  votre,  mon  ami,  monsieur, 
nos,  non,  oui'-dire,  pomme,  pont,  pose,  pot,  potion,  promo- 
tion, raison,  repos,  robe,  role,  rompre,  rose,  roue,  sot,  soyez, 
tombe,  trone. 

86-90 

papillon,  perpetrer,  tapage,  frapper,  rapport,  psychologies 
compter,  exempt,  sculpteur,  baptiser,  temps,  il  rompt,  camp, 
trop,  galop,  cep,  photographie,  quatre,  qui-vive,  coq,  cinq, 
cinq  livres,  le  cinq  Janvier,  grecque,  rapidity,  renaissance; 
fureur,  car,  fier,  marbre,  acheter,  boucher,  amer,  enfer, 
hiver,  messieurs,  rhetorique,  interrogation,  irregulier,  hor- 
rible, courais,  courrais,  saint,  servant,  testament,  penser, 
assemblee,  visage,  pesant,  designer,  antisocial,  contresens, 
transaction,  transitif,  transir,  asbeste,  presbytere,  lesquelles, 
mesdemoiselles,  ses,  secrets,  vers,  as,  cassis,  fils  ("son"), 
ibis,  jadis,  lis  (noun),  mars,  mceurs,  os  (singular),  pathos, 
plus-que-parfait,  rhinoceros,  ensus,  us,  fleur-de-lis,  ses  hom- 
ines, absolu,  disciple,  esclave,  scolastique,  schisme,  type,  utile, 
theme,  athlete,  cite,  lettre,  formation,  diplomatic,  prophe- 
tie,  fac£tieux,  amitie,  inimitie,  heritier,  Gautier,  huitieme, 
modestie,  ineptie,  balbutier,  initier,  digestion,  galimatias, 
6tioler,  huit,  correct,  exact,  intact,  strict,  est  ("east"),  zest. 

aloes,  antiseptique,  appetit,  aristocratie,  balsamique, 
beaucoup^  bis,  boulanger,  cap,  capricieux,  catarrhe,  cens, 
champ,  chose,  cceur,  contact,  corps,  cuiller,  descriptive,  en 


EXERCISES  85 

plus,  entier,  epitre,  est  ("is"),  ete*,  6ther,  6tioler,  fat,  Mas, 
hier,  huit,  huit  livres,  le  huit  decembre,  inertie,  infect,  in- 
sister,  iris,  irremediable,  j'acquerais,  j'acquerrais,  je  romps, 
laps,  les,  les  idees,  livres,  loup,  mais,  massacre,  matiere, 
mesdames,  metis,  moitie,  monsieur,  oasis,  obscure,  oppose, 
ouest,  ours,  papier,  pasteur,  pathetique,  phosphore,  piti6, 
poser,  prerogative,  pretention,  promener,  promptitude, 
psychique,  quelquefois,  quinze,  quoique,  raconteur,  redomp- 
ter,  regie,  relaps,  royal,  sabot,  scandale,  scene,  sens,  sens 
commun,  sept,  sept  plumes,  le  sept  juillet,  septieme,  soci^te, 
sortie,  substantiel,  suggestion,  tact,  tante,  terre,  terreur, 
tete,  tous,  transalpin,  transept,  transit,  transsubstantier, 
vers,  vis  (noun),  volontiers,  vraisemblance. 

91 

unique,  purete,  bu,  £cu,  chacun,  defunt,  parfum,  un  homme, 
nuage,  minuit,  fuite,  guitare,  qualite,  bague,  6pique,  arguez, 
nous  arguons,  aiguille,  contiguite,  linguiste,  aout,  maudire, 
poteau,  joyeux,  hauteur,  soeur,  ouvrage,  ou,  gueVir,  essuyant, 
revue,  harangue,  ambigue. 

ambiguite,  bateau,  cceur,  contigue,  d^nue,  emprunter,  en- 
nuyer,  feu,  gout,  guerre,  humble,  ils  arguerent,  lingual, 
mauvais,  nu,  peur,  phonetique,  quitter,  recu,  remuer,  rue, 
soutenir,  taquiner,  tulipe,  un  article,  utile,  vceu,  vous  arguez. 

92-95 

valet,  vivacite*,  frivole,  levre,  xylographie,  expansif, 
exquis,  fixer,  maxime,  pr^texte,  examen,  exemple,  exister, 
exuberance,  hexagone,  sexagenaire,  excentrique,  excitation, 
exsuder,  dixieme,  prix,  crucifix,  veux,  choux,  chanceux,  dix, 
le  six  juin,  dix-huitieme,  larynx,  onyx,  dix  ans,  noyer,  tuyau, 
moyen,  asseyions,  cypres,  byzantin,  style,  sympathie,  syn- 
taxe,  zigzag,  zouave,  azur,  assez,  6coutez. 


86  A  HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 

allez,  bazar,  croyez,  deux,  dix-huit,  dix-neuf,  dynamite, 
employiez,  exact,  exaltation,  exceder,  exciser,  exhibition, 
expirer,  exsangue,  extension,  fauve,  flux,  furieux,  hexametre, 
inexorable,  lynx,  lyrique,  paix,  prefix,  rayonner,  reve,  six, 
six  amis,  six  crayons,  sixieme,  soixante,  syndicat,  texte, 
thym,  venin,  vexer,  vrai,  xylophage,  y,  yeux,  zephyr,  zone. 

98-99 

a.  Divide  these  words  into  syllables  as  in  speech,  using  pho- 
netic script:  fini,  bouquet,  grosseur,  iniquite,  faconner,  ma- 
chine, gagner,  mangeons,  habiller,  bataillon,  enfantine, 
figuier,  Juliette,  girouette,  depuis,  secouer,  epuise,  appoin- 
tements,  socieHe,  noblesse,  sabre,  emplette,  hydrophobic, 
attraction,  gonfler,  islam,  Richelieu,  agriculture,  agres- 
sif,  microscope,  murmure,  absolu,  quelquefois,  excellence, 
arbrisseau,  meurtrier,  dextrement,  electrique,  paysage,  tra- 
vaillons,  bague,  entree,  acheter,  redevenir,  exemple,  philo- 
sophic, enseigner,  mepris,  diphthongue,  monarchique,  con- 
traction, onctueux. 

actif,  amuser,  appuy6,  aprete,  athletique,  atlantique,  ba- 
taille,  boucherie,  cacher,  cahier,  client,  coloniser,  condition, 
conduire,  constitution,  contree,  difficile,  discipline,  docile, 
doucement,  £crire,  eglise,  epargner,  epique,  £ther,  exact, 
fidelite,  filtration,  fleau,  grasseyer,  guichet,  hebreu,  hygiene, 
incliner,  israelite,  juger,  manquer,  marbrerie,  municipality, 
nettoyer,  noble,  oblige^  offrir,  ouvrage,  pourprS,  regner, 
s6duisant,  songer,  Soulier,  tourterelles,  village. 

b.  Divide  the  same  words  into  syllables  as  in  spelling  and 
writing. 

100-101 

Stress  properly  the  following  words  and  groups:  chat,  rat, 
chien;  table,  chaise,  livre;  bonnet,  chapeau,  casquette; 
animer,  subjuguer,  diriger;  absurdite,  ineffacable,  artificiel; 
uniformite,  incapacity,  in6galit6;  impossibility  insupporta- 


EXERCISES  87 

blement,  constitutionellement;  dedain,  individualisation,  vrai, 
invraisemblablement,  intelligence,  user,  indicible,  expansion; 
des  livres,  des  plumes,  des  crayons;  qu'il  dit,  qui  le  dit,  il 
le  dit;  c'est  a  moi,  remplacez-les,  allez  vite;  un  signale- 
ment,  un  signe  allemand;  il  les  apprit,  il  les  a  pris;  Jean  m'a 
donne"  9a,  il  est  trop  habile,  pretez-moi  des  plumes;  vous 
savez  qu'il  est  la,  c'etait  le  petit  tambour,  l'enfant  6tait 
couche*;  le  capitaine  s'arreta,  il  ne  se  tint  pas  satisfait,  c'etait 
fait  des  managements. 

103 

a.  Tell  whether  the  stressed  vowel  in  each  of  these  words  is 
long  or  short,  and  why:  6te,  inimitie,  sec,  element,  beau, 
6galit6,  conseil,  fille,  grave,  chose,  chauffage,  mort,  derriere, 
cire,  bete,  meme,  abime,  sur,  tasse,  plaine,  negre,  saule, 
zone,  feutre,  feindre,  humble,  chambre,  sombre,  blonde, 
importance,  pont. 

aimable,  alors,  ame,  bientot,  chante,  chaume,  classe, 
croyance,  61eve,  6paule,  fete,  fini,  gant,  grande,  j'emprunte, 
juge,  maniere,  meute,  moij  monde,  morose,  neutre,  oncle, 
pere,  quitter,  role,  seuil,  simple,  tendre,  veille,  veine,  yeux, 
zouave. 

b.  Pronounce  the  words,  bringing  out  clearly  the  difference 
between  the  long  and  short  vowels. 

104-108 

Read  these  phrases,  making  the  proper  liaisons:  Bien 
aimable,  trop  aim6,  dernier  avis,  nuit  et  jour,  chez  eux,  pied- 
a-terre,  du  bceuf  a  la  mode,  un  long  hiver,  de  bons  amis,  deux 
enfants,  il  y  en  a,  en  avant,  rien  a  faire,  mon  enfant,  un 
homme,  vous  avez,  ils  ont,  les  eglises,  de  grands  edifices,  ces 
61£ves,  un  grand  homme,  de  petits  oiseaux,  des  langues 
6trang&res,  des  bains  agr^ables,  les  bras  6tendus,  des  amis 
heureux,  faut-il,  6crivent-ils,  parlons-en,  allez-y,  tres  etonne, 
plus  heureux,  moins  attach^,  dans  un  livre,  sans  amis,  en 


88       A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 

Italie,  devant  elle,  sous  un  ciel  bleu,  selon  elle,  de  temps  en 
temps,  mot  a  mot,  pas  a  pas,  tout  a  coup,  de  plus  en  plus, 
vis-a-vis,  tout  a  l'heure,  un  nom  etranger,  lui  et  elle,  un 
objet  evident,  ces  huit  livres,  dix-huit,  ses  onze  enfants,  en 
eau,  en  haut,  les  heros,  les  heroines,  les  auteurs,  les  hau- 
teurs, mes  haines,  des  habits,  ses  yeux,  aux  hommes,  les 
haricots,  un  i,  un  nid,  des  harpes,  je  les  hais. 

109 
Point  out  in  these  words  the  cases  of  assimilations  which  are 
regular  or  might  occur  in  rapid  speech:  absolument,  abstenir, 
obtenir,  medecin,  tout  de  suite,  une  tasse  de  the*,  ils  ne 
savent  pas,  femme  de  chambre,  la-dessous,  en  face  de  lui, 
coup  de  pied,  a  cote  de  sa  chaise,  le  second,  une  masse  de 
baigneurs,  anecdote,  obscur,  beaucoup  de  choses. 


PHONETIC   READINGS 

(Vowels  in  bold-face  type  are  to  be  stressed.  Except  when  the 
stress  has  been  shifted,  for  emphasis  or  other  reasons,  a  stressed  vowel 
marks  the  end  of  a  stress-group.  A  single  vertical  line  (|)  marks  the 
end  of  a  breath-group.  It  denotes  a  break  in  the  continuity  of  the 
breath,  and  while  one  does  not  always  need  to  take  breath  at  the  end 
of  such  a  group  there  should  be  no  pause  for  breath  within  it.  Two 
vertical  lines  (||)  mark  a  full  stop  or  a  decided  pause.  A  small  circle 
(0)  below  a  voiced  consonant  denotes  that,  in  fluent  reading,  it  is 
unvoiced  by  assimilation.  To  simplify  the  reading,  spaces  have  been 
left  between  words,  and  consonants  resulting  from  liaison  stand  alone. 
This  division  is  not  phonetic,  however,  and  it  should  be  remembered 
that  a  stress-group  is  treated  as  a  single  word,  and  consists  of  a  succes- 
sion of  syllables  with  stress  on  the  last.  A  single  consonant  is  always 
pronounced  with  the  following  vowel.) 


1.  la  sal  da  klais1 

vwasi  la  sal  da  klais.  la  meitr  e  le  z  eleiv  s5  da  la  sal 
da  klais.  la  meitr  e  dbu  dva  la  klais.  le  z  eleiv  s5  t  asi 
syr  de  ba.  la  meitra  pari  o  z  eleiv.  il  poiz  de  kestjS.  le 
z  eleiv  repSid. 

la  meitr.  —  mari,  w  e  la  taibl? 

mari.  —  vwala  la  taibl. 

la  meitr.  —  tre  bjg.    3a,  w  e  la  plym? 

3a.  —  la  plum  .  .  . 

la  meitr.  —  me  n5!  me  n5!  pa  la  plum,  la  plym! 

3a.  —  la  plim. 

la  meitr.  —  no  no  no  no  n5!  ekute  e  repete;  y,  y,  y. 

3a.  —  y,  y,  y. 

la  meitr.  —  tre  bjg!  metna;  ly,  ly,  ly. 

1  This  exercise  was  suggested  by  one  in  the  Fransk  Laesebog  of 
O.  Jespersen  and  V.  Stigaard,  Copenhagen,  1915. 

89 


90  A  HANDBOOK  OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 

3cL  —  ly,  ly,  ly. 
is   la  meitr.  —  ply,  plym,  la  plym. 

3a.  —  ply,  plym,  la  plym. 

la  meitr.  —  b5.    metna,  3a,  w  e  la  plym? 

5a.  —  la  plym  e  sur  .  .  . 

la  meitr.  —  me  mo  n  ami! 
20      3a.  —  syr!  syr  la  taibl. 

la  meitr. —  me  wi!  metna,  repete:  la  plym  e  syr  la 
taibl. 

3a.  —  la  plym  e  syr  la  taibl. 

mari.  —  pard5,  msj0.    5  son. 
25      la  meitr.  —  e  bj£!  la  lso  e  fini.    o  rvwair  me  z  afa. 

la  klais.  —  o  rvwair  masj0. 


2.  <£  n  adrwa  kalkylatceir  || 

ce  poivra  savwajair  |  ragarde  avek  avi  la  butik  d  ce 
bula3e.ll  le  pti  p£  etale  syr  yn  taibl  |  eksite  so  n  apeti,  | 
me  z  il  n  ave  pa  z  de  su  da  sa  po$.|| 

affi  il  aitr  e  dmaid:  ||  "kobje  se  pti  p£?"||  —  "duiz  pur 
S  5iz  su/'  repo  1  bula3e.ll  —  "a!  duiz  pur  5iz  su;  |  tre 
bj6.||  3  ore  doik  5iz  poti  pe  pur  di  su,  |  dis  pur  n0  su,  | 
noef  pur  ui  su,  |  nit  pur  se  su,  |  set  pur  si  su,  |  sis  pur  s6 
su,  I  s§ik  pur  katra  su,  |  katra  pur  trwa  su,  |  trwa  pur  d0 
su,  I  d0  pur  dfe  su,  I  e  dfe  pur  rj6.||  e  bjg,  msj0,  |  ce  soel 
to  syfi;  ||  avek  votra  permisjS,  3a  mci3re  salqi  si.||  mersi, 
msj0,  I  e  o  rvwair!'' || 


3.  la  ptit  fiij  e  1  kSdyktceir  || 

yn  patit  fiij  e  t  asiiz  soel  |  da  1  kw6  d  ce  vag6  da  $me  d 
feir.||  la  kodyktosir  pais  pur  praidra  le  bije;  ||  la  ptit 
fiij  prezait  de  bije  da  dmi  plas.|| 

—  kel  013  ave  vu?  |  lqi  di  1  kodyktoeir.|| 


PHONETIC   READINGS  91 

—  5  e  seik  a,  masj0.||  s 

—  vu  n  ave  pa  ply  d  seik  a?|| 

—  n5,  masj0;  ||  a  $me  d  feir  3  e  seik  a,  |  a  la  mez5  3  a 
n  e  set.  || 

—  a  .  .  .  I  e  vu  vwaja3e  z  esi  soel?|| 

—  n5,  masj0,  |  set  dam  laba,  o  milj0  dy  vag5,  |  e  ma  10 
tait.|| 

—  e  kel  013  votra  tait  a  t  el?|| 

—  el  a  vetncev  a.|| 

—  el  n  a  k  vetncev  a?|| 

—  wi,  m9sj0.||  15 

—  kel  ai3  ave  t  el  1  ane  dernjeir?|| 

—  el  ave  vetnoev  a.|| 

—  e  kel  013  ave  t  el  1  ane  avfi?|| 

—  vetncev  a;  ||  el  a  tu^uir  vetnoev  a.|| 


4.  1  urs  e  le  d0  $asceir  || 

d0  Jasoesr  eja  bazwe  d  ar3a,  |  aleir  truve  ce  mar$a  d 
furyir,  |  e  hji  diir:  ||  "da  la  motaji  vwazin,  |  il  j  a  tie  n  urs 
enorm  do  nu  z  avo  truve  la  pist.||  nu  som  sert£  d  la  tqe.|| 
si  vu  vule  nu  done  sa  fra,  |  nu  vu  z  aportro  bjeto  sa  po."|| 

la  marja  leer  dona  le  sa  fra,  |  e  le  d0  Sasoeir  partiir  pur   5 
la  motaji.||    a  pern  j  ete  t  il  z  arive  |  ka  1  urs  s  avasa  ver 
0,  o  pti  tro,  I  a  pusa  de  grojima  z  efrejfi.|| 

lorska  le  $asoe:r  1  apersyir,  |  il  fyr  sezi  d  terroeir  |  e  $er- 
$e:r  le  mwaje  d  ejape  o  terribl  animal.  ||  1  dfe  d  0  grepa  syr 
ce  n  arbr,  |  e  1  oitra  s  ku$a  par  tesr,  |  rate  so  sufl  e  fi  1  mo:r.||  10 
1  urs  ve  la  flere  da  tu  le  kote;  ||  me  vwaja  k  il  na  bu3e 
pa  I  e  k  il  na  respire  pa,  |  il  la  kry  mo:r,  |  e  s  elwana  sa 
lqi  fer  da  mal,  |  kar  le  z  urs  n  em  pa  le  kada:vr.|| 

ka  1  urs  y  dispary,  |  la  $asoe:r  ki  ete  syr  1  arbra  desadi,  | 
s  aproja  d  so  kopano  e  lqi  dmada,  |  pur  s  moke  da  lui:  ||  15 
"k  e  s  ka  1  urs  t  a  di  t  a  1  oreij?"|| 


92  A  HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 

—  "il  m  a  di,"  |  repodi  1  oitr,  |  "k  il  no  fo  pa  vasdro  la 
po  d  1  urs  |  ava  d  1  avwar  tue."|| 


5.  <£  mar$e  || 

ce  vjej  avair  fe  vniir  ce  mets6  |  pur  vwair  sa  fam  tre 
malad.||  la  mets6  |  ki  konese  so  n  om,  |  domaid  kon  arai3 
daboir  sez  onoreir.|| 

"swat,"  |  di  1  avair,  |  "30  vu  donre  d0  sa  fra,  |  ko  vu 
0  tyje  ma  fam  u  k  vu  la  gerisje."|| 

la  metse  aksept,  |  me  malgre  se  sw£,  |  la  fam  moe:r.|| 
kelko  ta  z  apre,  |  il  vje  reklame  so  n  ar3a.ll 

"kel  £LT5aV\  di  1  avair. ||    "ave  vu  geri  ma  fam?"!! 

—  "n5,  ||  30  n  1  e  pa  geri."|| 
10      —  "aloir  vu  1  ave  tqe?"|| 

—  Htqe!||    o  I  kel  orceir!||    vu  save  bjg  ko  n5."|| 

—  "e  bj6,  ||  pqisko  vu  n  1  ave  ni  geri  |  ni  tqe,  |  ko 
dmadevu?"!! 

6.  le  ty  e  le  kafe  || 

1  aspe  d  la  ry  |  da  le  vil  fraseiz  |  a  kelkojoiz  do  parti- 
kylje.||  le  z  abita  pas  boku  d  ta  dooir  |  e  le  ry  so  rady 
osi  agreabl  ko  posibl.|| 

da  le  grad  vil,  |  le  ry  so  lar3  e  plate  d  arbr;  ||  se  prom- 

s  nad  s  apel  bulvair.||    le  nobr0  bulvair  |  ki  travers  pari  a 

tu  sais  I  kotriby  a  feir  do  set  vil  |  la  ply  bel  kapital  dy 

m5id;  ||  le  z  espas  z  uveir  |  ki  s  nom  plas,  |  so  rady  ge  par 

de  z  arbr  e  de  fotein.|| 

la  parti  d  la  ry  rezerve  o  pjetS  |  e  kuvert  d  asfalt  u  d 
IO  gravje,  |  il  j  a  de  ba  su  lez  arbr  |  u  1  0  p0  so  rpoze.||  0  n 
aroz  frekama  le  ry  a  n  ete,  |  pur  ape$e  la  pusjeir  d  s 
elve.ll 

do  nobr0  kafe  |  deborda  syr  le  trotwair  [  evit  s0  ki  pais  | 


PHONETIC   READINGS  93 

a  s  aswair  a  1  oibra  da  leer  ta:t  |  dava  da  30H  ptit  tasbla  da 
marbra  blfi.||  boku  d  3a  vo  s  i  aswair:  ||  da  3cen  z  ofisje  |  15 
a  bel  yniform  bl0  e  rui3,  |  gala  d  oir  |  e  saibr  eklata;  ||  da 
vj0  mesj0  I  ki  fym  gravma  leer  sigair  |  a  liza  1  3urnal;  ||  de 
negosja  |  ki  diskyt  lez  afeir  |  a  byva  leer  bok  da  bjeir;  || 
de  dam  a  twalet  ge  |  avek  leer  mari  u  leer  freir;  ||  de  3oen 
3a  da  lwaziir  |  ki  rgard  le  pasa;  ||  dez  etydja  |  ki  ri  e  ki  20 
koz  a  ot  vwa  |  a  fyma  de  sigaret  u  d  gros  pip.|| 

le  garso  d  kafe,  |  afere,  |  sa  glis  atra  le  $eiz  e  le  tajbl,  | 
la  servjet  su  1  bra,  |  balasa  adrwatma  syr  da  pti  plato  | 
de  veir  16  z  e  mgis,  |  de  tais  da  kafe,  |  da  pti  veir  d  korjak.|| 

on  ata  la  brui  de  bu$5  ki  sot,  |  la  gluglu  de  buteij,  |  la  25 
$ok  de  veir  |  e  mil  otra  brqi  dy  mem  3<iir.|| 

boku  d  3a  pais  yn  graid  parti  d  la  3urne  o  kafe.||    set 
o  kafe  k  le  komersa  fo  suva  lez  afeir,  |  ka  1  vwaja303ir 
ekri  se  letr,  |  k  le  z  etydja  diskyt  la  politik  |  e  k  le  flanoeir 
pais  la  ta.||    s  e  t  o  kafe  k  le  komi  s  delais  d  leer  fatig  |  a  30 
3wa  yn  parti  d  bijair  u  d  kart.  || 

de  myzisjg  lwe  par  la  proprieteir  dy  kafe  |  fat  ataidra 
da  ta  z  a  ta  |  yn  myzik  agreabl.|| 


7.  portre  de  serf1!! 

1  5  vwa  serte  z  animo  faru§,  |  de  mail  e  de  famel,  |  repady 
par  la  kapaji,  |  nwair,  livid,  e  tu  bryle  dy  soleij,  |  ata$e  z 
a  la  teir  |  k  il  fuij  e  k  il  ramy  |  avek  yn  opinjatrate  ev§i 
sibl.||  il  z  5  kom  yn  vwa  artikyle,  |  e  kat  il  sa  leiv  syr 
leer  pje,  |  il  mSitr  yn  fas  ymein;  ||  e  a  n  efe,  |  il  so  de  z 
om.||  il  sa  rtiir  la  nui  da  de  tanjeir  |  u  il  viiv  da  pe  nwair, 
d  o  e  da  rasin;  ||  il  z  eparn  o  z  oitra  z  om  la  pein  da  same,  | 
da  labure  |  e  da  rkcejiir  pur  viivr,  |  e  merit  eisi  |  da  n  pa 
maike  d  sa  pfi  |  kil  z  0  same.|| 

la  bryjeir. 

1  This  selection  is  an  illustration  of  slow  and  emphatic  style. 


94  A  HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 

8.  la  grammcir1 1| 

sein  pramjeir.|| 
3a,  |pqima$y,  |  pip  bla:$.|| 

(o  lve  dy  rido,  |  3a  rai3  d  la  vesel  |  dava  t  ce  byfe  ki  s 
truv  a  go:$,  |  o  pramje  pla.||) 

3a.  —  1  anui  d  la  vesel  |  kat  5  1  a  r&3e  |  s  e  k  i  fo  la 
dera3e.ll    (ce  saladje  lqi  e$ap  de  mg  e  s  ka:s.||) 

ma$y  (atra).  —  paf!|| 

3a.  —  sakrabl0!|  la  saladje  dore!|| 
5      ma$y.  —  ty  travaij  bj8,  |  twa!|| 

3a.  —  a!|  s  n  e  ka  1  veterineir!  .  .  .||    vu  m  ave  fe  poeir.|| 

ma$y.  —  k  e  s  ka  va  dir  msj0  kabusa,  |  to  meitr,  |  a 
vwaja  set  fabrik  da  kastajiet?|| 

3a  (ramasa  le  morso).  —  i  n  la  vera  pa  .  .  .||  3  ateir  le 
10  morso  o  fo  dy  3ardS  .  .  .||  3  e  la  yn  patit  fois  .  .  .||  pre  d  1 
abrikotje  .  .  .||  s  e  propr  |  e  gazone.|| 

blai$  (atra  par  la  drwat,  |  pramje  pla  ||).  —  3a!||  (aper- 
sava  ma$y.)    a!|  bo3U:r  msj0  ma$y.|| 

ma$y  (salqa).  —  madmwazel.H 
15      bl&:$  (a  3ft).  —  ty  n  a  pa  vy  1  saladje  dore?|| 

3a  (ka$a  le  morso  da  so  tablie  ||).  —  n5,  madmwazel.|| 

blai$.  —  3a  1  $er$  |  pur  y  met  de  freiz.|| 

3a.  —  i  dwat  et  reste  da  1  byfe  d  la  sal  a  ma3e.ll 

bla:$.  —  3  ve  vwair  .  .  .|  s  e  t  etona  la  katite  d  vesel 
20  ki  dispare  .  .  .|| 

3a.  —  0  n  kais  purta  rj6  .  .  .||  (bla:$  so:r  par  la  go:$,  | 
pramje  pla.||) 

1  This  selection  is  an  illustration  of  familiar  conversational  style. 


PHONETIC   READINGS  95 

se:n  d0  || 
3a,  I  ma$y,  |  pin"  kabusa  || 

ma$y.  —  a  bj6,  |  ty  a  d  1  apl5,  twa!|| 

3<i.  —  dam,  I  si  el  save  k  so  saladje  e  kase  .  .  .|  sa  lqi  fre 
d  la  pein,  |  a  set  domwazel.|| 

ma$y.  —  a  sa!|  3a  vje  pur  la  va$  .  .  .|| 

3a.  —  o!|  se  t  inytil.||  5 

ma$y.  —  purkwa?|| 

3&.  —  el  e  mort  ||  il  pare  k  el  ave  t  avale  de  pti  morso 
d  karaf  .  .  .|  mal  atere.|| 

ma$y.  —  a!|  vwala!|  ty  11  kr0:z  pa  z  ase.|| 

3&.  —  s  e  vre  .  .  .|  me  i  fe  si  $0  $pui  de  mwa!||  10 

ma$y. —  a  sa!|  set  03urdui  1  gra  3Uir!|  to  met  dwa  t 
et  da  tu  se  z  eta.|| 

3a.  —  pufkwa?|| 

ma$y.  —  s  e  da  d0z  ceir  |  k  0  va  elir  1  prezidft  dy  komis 
agrikol  d  arpa3S.ll  15 

3a.  —  krwaje  vu  k  mosj0  kabusa  swa  rnome?|| 

ma$y. —  3  n  a  dut  pa.||  3  e  de3a  by  trez  ver  d  v6  | 
a  so  n  etasj5.|| 

3&.  —  vre? ||  e  bjg,  sa  n  pare  pa.|| 

ma$y.  —  30  kabal  pur  to  me:tr.||    s  e  3yst,  |  3  e  la  pra-  20 
tik  d  la  mez5.|| 

3&.  —  il  a  de  kokyrfi  |  kj  e  t  de  male,  |  msj0  Jafinc,  |  de 
n  asje  n  avwe  .  .  .||  dopqi  de  mwa  |  i  n  f e  k  koze  avek 
le  peizfi  .  .  ,|| 

ma$y. — i  fe  mj0  k   sa.||     dimai$  dernje,  |  il  a  ete  a  25 
pari,  I  e  il  a  n  e  rvony  |  avek  yn  sekaten  do  pti  balo  ru:3  | 
ki  s  aleiv  tu  soel  ||  e  i  le  z  a  distribute  gratis  |  o  z  of  a  d 
la  klas  agrikol.  || 

3a.  —  a!|  s  e  tre  foir!| 

ma$y.  —  wi,  |  me  3  e  pare  1  ku  ||  3  e  repady  1  brui  |  k  30 
le  bal5  |  atire  la  greil  ,  .  .||  e  0  le  z  a  tus  krove.|| 


96       A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 

3fi.  — kel  diplomat  ka  s  per  ma$y!|| 
ma$y.  —  nu  n  vulo  pa  cl  $afine  ||  a  ba  $afine!||  tie  n 
etriga  .  .  .||  ki  fe  vnir  d  etaip  |  so  vetermeir!|| 
35      3a.  —  a!|  vwala!|| 

ma$y.  —  s  k  i  nu  fo,  s  e  msj0  kabusa  |  tie  n  om  sobr 
. .  .}  e  estrqi! .  .  .|  kar  0  p0  disr  k  s  e  t  ce  savS,  |  salqi 
la!|| 
3a.  —  ka  t  a  sa  .  .  .|  i  rest  de  z  ce:r  z  atjeir  da  so  ka- 
40  bine,  |  avek  tie  liv  a  la  m6 .  .  .|  1  ceij  fiks  .  .  .|  la  teit  imo- 
bil .  .  .|  kom  s  i  n  koprane  pa.|| 
ma$y.  —  i  refle$i.|| 

3&. —  i  kr0iz  .  .  .||  (apersava  kabusa. ||)    lo  wasi  .  .  .| 
(motra  le  morso  dy  saladje.||)    3  ve  feir  kom  lqi  |  3  ve 
45  kr0ize.|| 

labiS. 
9.  la  $c:n  e  1  rozo  || 

la  $em  |  tie  3Uir  |  dit  o  rozo:|| 
"vu  z  ave  bje  sy3e  |  d  akyze  la  naty:r;|| 
ce  rwatale  |  pur  vu  |  e  t  tie  paza  fardo;|| 

la  mweidra  va  |  ki  d  avatyir  | 
5  fe  ride  la  fas  da  1  o,|| 

vu  z  obli:3  I  a  bese  la  te:t;|| 
sapada  ka  mo  fr5,  ||  o  kokaiz  pareij,|| 
no  kota  d  arete  |  le  rej5  dy  sole:j,|| 

braiv  1  efoir  da  la  tfipeit.|| 
10  tu  vu  z  e  t  akilS,  ||  tu  ma  saibla  zefi:r.|| 

akoir  I  si  vu  nesje  z  a  1  abri  dy  fceja.'3  | 

do  3a  kuivra  la  vwazina:3,| 

vu  n  orje  pa  to:  t  a  sufri:r;|| 

3a  vu  defadre  da  1  ora:3:|| 
15  me  vu  nese  |  la  ply  suva  | 

syr  le  z  ymird  bo:r  |  de  rwajoim  dy  v<i.|| 

la  natyir  |  aveir  vu  |  ma  saibla  bje  n  e3yst."|| 

"votra  kopasj5"||  lqi  repodi  1  arbyst,|| 


PHONETIC   READINGS  97 

"pair  d  de  b5  natyrel;  ||  me  kite  so  susi:|| 

le  v&  mo  so  mwe  k  a  vu  roduta:bl;||  2o 

30  pli  e  no  ro  pa.||    vu  z  ave  3ysk  isi  | 

kotro  loer  ku  z  epuvataibl  | 

reziste  |  sa  kurbe  lo  do;|| 
me  z  atad5  la  fg"||  kom  il  dize  se  mo,| 
dy  bu  do  1  oriz5  |  akuir  avek  fyri  |  25 

lo  ply  terriblo  de  z  affi  | 
ko  lo  no:r  y  parte  |  3ysko  la  |  da  se  fla.|| 

1  arbro  tje  b5;  ||  lo  rozo  pli.|| 

lo  va  roduiblo  se  z  efoir,  | 

e  fe  si  bj6  I  k  il  derasino  |  30 

sohji  do  ki  la  te:t  |  o  sjel  ete  vwazino,| 
e  do  le  pje  tu$e  t  a  1  apiir  de  mo:r.|| 

la  foten. 


10.  a  kwa  b3  atofidr  || 

a  kwa  b5  atfiidr  | 
le  z  wazo  de  bwa?|| 
1  wazo  lo  ply  tdidr  | 
$fcito  da  ta  vwa.|| 

ko  dj0  mSitr  u  vwal  |  S 

le  z  astro  de  sj0!|| 
la  ply  pyir  etwal  | 
briijo  da  te  z  j0.|| 

k  avril  ronuvel  | 

lo  3arde  a  flo3ir!||  io 

la  floeir  la  ply  bel  | 

flosri  da  to  kceir.ll 


98  A   HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 

se  t  wazo  da  fla:m,| 
se  t  astra  dy  3U:r,| 
15  seta  floeir  da  1  a:m,| 

s  apela  1  amu:r.|| 


viktoir  ygo. 


11.  1  albatras 


suvfl  I  pur  s  amyze  |  le  z  oma  d  ekipai3 
prcna  de  z  albatros,  |  vasta  z  wazo  de  meir,| 
ki  suizva,  |  edola  kopajio  da  vwajai3,| 
la  naviira  glisft  |  syr  le  gufra  z  ame:r.|| 

5  a  peina  |  le  z  5  t  il  depoze  syr  le  pl€trS,I 

ka  se  rwa  da  1  azyir,  |  maladrwa  |  e  5t0,| 
leisa  pit0izamfi  |  leer  gr&ida  z  ela  blai$ 
koma  de  z  avirS  |  trene  r  a  kote  d  0.|| 

sa  vwaja3ce:r  ele  |  kom  il  e  go:$  e  vce:l!|| 
10  lui,  nageir  si  bo,  |  k  il  e  komik  e  le!| 

1  63  n  agasa  sa  bek  |  avek  de  bryla  g03:l,| 
1  oitra  mim  a  bwata  1 1  efirma  ki  vole!|| 

la  pocit  e  sablaibl  o  prgisa  de  nyei| 
ki  5:ta  la  tapeit  |  e  sa  ri  da  1  ar$e;|| 
15  egzile  syr  la  sol  |  o  milj0  de  ye:,| 

se  z  eila  da  3e<i  1  apeiSa  da  mar$e.|| 

bodleir. 


FRENCH  SELECTIONS  FOR 
ORAL  PRACTICE 

1.  A  FABLE  IN  VERSE,  WITH  INTERLINEAR 
PHONETIC  SCRIPT 

Une  grenouille  vit  un  bceuf 
yngranuija  vitoebcef 

Qui  lui  sembla  de  belle  taille. 
kilqisabla  dabeltajj 

Elle  qui  n'£tait  pas  grosse  en  tout  comme  un  ceuf, 
efo  kinetepagrois  atu  komdenoef 

Envieuse,  s'etend,  et  s'enfle,  et  se  travaille 
avjoiza         seta  esa:fl  esatrava:j 

Pour  egaler  Tanimal  en  grosseur; 
puregale        lanimal        agrosceir 

Disant:  "Regardez  bien,  ma  sceur, 
diza  ragardebje  masceir 

Est-ce  assez?  dites-moi;  n'y  suis-je  point  encore? 
esase  ditmwa  nisqi3pwetako:r 

—  Nenni  —  M'y  voici  done?  —  Point  du  tout  —  M'y  voila? 

nani  mivwasidoik  pwedytu  mivwala 

—  Vous  n'en  approchez  point."     La  chetive  p£core 

vunanapro$epwe  la$eti:vpeko:r 

S'enfla  si  bien  qu'elle  creva. 
sdfla       sibje  kelkrava 

Le  monde  est  plein  de  gens  qui  ne  sont  pas  plus  sages: 
Iam5:depleda3a  kinas5paplysa:3 

Tout  bourgeois  veut  batir  comme  les  grands  seigneurs, 
tubur3wa  vobatisr  komlegrasejiceir 

Tout  petit  prince  a  des  ambassadeurs; 
tupatipreis  adezabasadoeir 

Tout  marquis  veut  avoir  des  pages, 
tumarki  V0tavwardepa:3 

La  Fontaine,  la  Grenouille  qui  veut  sefaire 
aussi  grosse  que  le  bceuf. 
99 


100     A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 


2.  NARRATIVE  PROSE 

Mme  Loisel  connut  la  vie  horrible  des  necessiteux.  Elle 
prit  son  parti,  d'ailleurs,  tout  d'un  coup,  heroiquement.  II 
fallait  payer  cette  dette  effroyable.  Elle  payerait.  On  ren- 
voya  la  bonne;  on  changea  de  logement;  on  loua  sous  les 
toits  une  mansarde. 

Elle  connut  les  gros  travaux  du  menage,  les  odieuses  be- 
sognes  de  la  cuisine.  Elle  lava  la  vaisselle,  usant  ses  ongles 
roses  sur  les  poteries  grasses  et  le  fond  des  casseroles.  Elle 
savonna  le  linge  sale,  les  chemises  et  les  torchons,  qu'elle 
faisait  secher  sur  une  corde;  elle  descendit  a  la  rue,  chaque 
matin,  les  ordures,  et  monta  l'eau,  s'arretant  a  chaque  etage 
pour  souffler.  Et,  vetue  comme  une  femme  du  peuple,  elle 
alia  chez  le  fruitier,  chez  l'epicier,  chez  le  boucher,  le  panier 
au  bras,  marchandant,  injuriee,  defendant  sou  a  sou  son 
miserable  argent. 

II  fallait  chaque  mois  payer  des  billets,  en  renouveler 
d'autres,  obtenir  du  temps. 

Le  mari  travaillait,  le  soir,  a  mettre  au  net  les  comptes 
d'un  commercant,  et  la  nuit,  souvent,  il  faisait  de  la  copie 
a  cinq  sous  la  page. 

Et  cette  vie  dura  dix  ans. 

Au  bout  de  dix  ans,  ils  avaient  tout  restitue*,  tout,  avec  le 
taux  de  l'usure,  et  Y accumulation  des  inteYets  superposes. 

Madame  Loisel  semblait  vieille,  maintenant.  Elle  etait 
devenue  la  femme  forte,  et  dure,  et  rude,  des  menages 
pauvres.  Mai  peignee,  avec  les  jupes  de  travers  et  les  mains 
rouges,  elle  parlait  haut,  lavait  a  grande  eau  les  planchers. 
Mais  parfois,  lorsque  son  mari  etait  au  bureau,  elle  s'as- 
seyait  aupres  de  la  fenetre,  et  elle  songeait  a  cette  soiree 
d'autrefois,  a  ce  bal  ou  elle  avait  6te  si  belle  et  si  fet6e. 

Que  serait-il  arrive  si  elle  n' avait  point  perdu  cette  pa- 
rure?     Qui  sait?  qui  sait?     Comme  la  vie  est  singuliere, 


SELECTIONS   FOR   ORAL   PliACTICi  101 

changeante!    Comme  il  faut  pen  de  chose  pour  vousperdre 
ou  vous  sauver! 

Guy  de  Maupassant,  la  Parure. 


3.   DRAMATIC  PROSE 

Gaston.  Eh  bien!  cher  beau-pere,  comment  gouvernez- 
vous  ce  petit  d^sespoir?  £tes-vous  toujours  furieux  contre 
votre  panier  perce  de  gendre?    Avez-vous  pris  votre  parti? 

Poirier.    Non,  monsieur;  mais  j'ai  pris  un  parti. 

Gaston.    Violent? 

Poirier.     Necessaire. 

Gaston.    Y  a-t-il  de  l'indiscretion  a  vous  demander? 

Poirier.  Au  contraire,  monsieur,  c'est  une  explication 
que  je  vous  dois  .  .  .  En  vous  donnant  ma  fille  et  un  mil- 
lion, je  m'imaginais  que  vous  consentiriez  a  prendre  une 
position. 

Gaston.    Ne  revenons  pas  la-dessus,  je  vous  prie. 

Poirier.  Je  n'y  reviens  que  pour  memoire.  Je  reconnais 
que  j'ai  eu  tort  d'imaginer  qu'un  gentilhomme  consentirait 
a  s'occuper  comme  un  homme,  et  je  passe  condamnation : 
mais,  dans  mon  errewyje  vous  ai  laisse"  mettre  ma  maison 
sur  un  ton  que  je  ne  peux  pas  soutenir  a  moi  seul,  et  puis- 
qu'il  est  bien  convenu  que  nous  n'avons,  a  nous  deux,  que 
ma  fortune,  il  me  parait  juste,  raisonnable  et  necessaire  de 
supprimer  de  mon  train  ce  qu'il  me  faut  rabattre  de  mes 
esperances.  J'ai  done  songe  a  quelques  reformes  que  vous 
approuverez  sans  doute  .  .  . 

Gaston.  Allez,  Sully!  allez,  Turgot!  coupez,  taillez,  j'y 
consens!    Vous  me  trouvez  en  belle  humeur,  profitez-en. 

Poirier.  Je  suis  ravi  de  votre  condescendance.  J'ai 
done  decide,  arrete,  ordonne*  .  .  . 

Gaston.  Permettez,  beau-pere!  si  vous  avez  d£cid£,  ar- 
rete, ordonn6,  il  me  parait  superflu  que  vous  me  consultiez. 


102  A  HANDBOCK   OF  FRENCH   PHONETICS 

Poirier.  Aussi  ne  vous  consul t^-je  pas;  je  vous  mets  au 
courant,  voila  tout. 

Gaston.    Ah!  vous  ne  me  consultez  pas? 

Poirier.     Cela  vous  etonne? 

Gaston.  Un  peu;  mais  je  vous  Tai  dit,  je  suis  en  belle 
humeur. 

Poirier.    Ma  premiere  re*forme,  mon  cher  garcon  .  .  . 

Gaston.  Vous  voulez  dire  mon  cher  Gaston,  je  pense? 
La  langue  vous  a  fourche. 

Poirier.  Cher  Gaston,  cher  garcon!  c'est  tout  un!  De 
beau-pere  a  gendre,  la  familiarity  est  permise. 

Gaston.  Et  de  votre  part,  monsieur  Poirier,  elle  me 
flatte  et  m'honore.  Vous  disiez  done  que  votre  premiere 
r£forme?  .  .  . 

Poirier.  C'est,  monsieur,  que  vous  me  fassiez  le  plaisir  de 
ne  plus  me  gouailler.    Je  suis  las  de  vous  servir  de  plastron. 

Gaston.    La,  la,  monsieur  Poirier,  ne  vous  fachez  pas! 

Poirier.  Je  sais  tres  bien  que  vous  me  tenez  pour  un 
tr&s  petit  personnage  et  pour  un  tres  petit  esprit .  .  .  mais  .  .  . 

Gaston.    Ou  prenez-vous  cela? 

Poirier.  Mais  vous  saurez  qu'il  y  a  plus  de  cervelle  dans 
ma  pantoufle  que  sous  votre  chapeau. 

Gaston.  Ah!  fi!  voila  qui  est  trivial  .  .  .  vous  parlez 
comme  un  homme  du  commun. 

Poirier.    Je  ne  suis  pas  un  marquis,  moi! 

Gaston.    Ne  le  dites  pas  si  haut,  on  finirait  par  le  croire. 

Augier,  le  Gendre  de  M.  Poirier,  III,  2. 


4.  CLASSIC  VERSE 

Don  Rodrigue.  —  Sous  moi  done  cette  troupe  s'avance 
Et  porte  sur  le  front  une  male  assurance. 
Nous  partimes  cinq  cents;  mais,  par  un  prompt  renfort, 
Nous  nous  vimes  trois  mille  en  arrivant  au  port, 


SELECTIONS  FOR  ORAL  PRACTICE        103 

Tant,  a  nous  voir  marcher  avec  un  tel  visage, 
Les  plus  epouvant^s  reprenaient  de  courage! 
J'en  cache  les  deux  tiers,  aussitot  qu'arrives, 
Dans  le  fond  des  vaisseaux  qui  lors  furent  trouves; 
Le  reste,  dont  le  nombre  augmentait  a  toute  heure, 
Brulant  d'impatience,  autour  de  moi  demeure, 
Se  couche  contre  terre,  et  sans  faire  aucun  bruit, 
Passe  une  bonne  part  d'une  si  belle  nuit. 
Par  mon  commandement,  la  garde  en  fait  de  meme, 
Et,  se  tenant  cachee,  aide  a  mon  strategeme; 
Et  je  feins  hardiment  d'avoir  recu  de  vous 
L'ordre  qu'on  me  voit  suivre  et  que  je  donne  a  tous. 

Corneille,  le  Cid,  IV,  3. 


5.  LYRIC  VERSE 

(Test  le  moment  crepusculaire. 
J' admire,  assis  sous  un  portail, 
Ce  reste  de  jour  dont  s'6claire 
La  derniere  heure  du  travail. 

Dans  les  terres  de  nuit  baign^es 
Je  contemple,  6mu,  les  haillons 
D'un  vieillard  qui  jette  a  poign6es 
La  moisson  future  aux  sillons. 

Sa  haute  silhouette  noire 
Domine  les  profonds  labours. 
On  sent  a  quel  point  il  doit  croire 
A  la  fuite  utile  des  jours. 

II  marche  dans  la  plaine  immense, 
Va,  vient,  lance  la  graine  au  loin, 
Rouvre  sa  main,  et  recommence, 
Et  je  medite,  obscur  temoin. 


104  A  HANDBOOK   OF   FRENCH   PHONETICS 

Pendant  que,  deployant  ses  voiles, 
L'ombre,  ou  se  mele  une  rumeur, 
Semble  elargir  jusqu'aux  etoiles 
Le  geste  auguste  du  semeur. 

Victor  Hugo,  "Saison  des  eemailles:  le  Soir," 
from  Chansons  des  rues  et  des  bois. 


INDEX 

(References  are  to  pages) 


Accents:  25 
Alphabet:  24 
Analysis:  1 
Assimilation:  66 

Back  Vowels:  8 
Bibliography:  70 

Cedilla:  26 

Classification  of  Consonants:  15 
Connected  Speech,  Stress  in:  61 
Consonant-Letters : 
Double:  26 
Final:  27 
Consonants:  15 

Classification:  15 
Explosive:  17 

[b,  p,  d,  t]:  17;  [g,  kj:  18 
Fricative:  19 

[v,f,z,s]:19;  [5,  SI:  20 
Lateral:  21 
[1]:21 
Nasal:  20 

[m,  n,  jij:  20 
Similar  in  French  and  Eng- 
lish: 16 
Trilled:  21 
[r,  R]:21 

Diaeresis:  25 
Diphthongs:  4 
Division,  Syllabic:  59 

In  Speech:  59 

In  Spelling  and  Writing:  60 
Double  Consonant-Letters:  26 


Elision:  67 
Emotional  Stress:  62 
Explosive  Consonants:  17 

Final  Consonant-Letters:  27 
Foreign  Words:  56 
Fricative  Consonants:  19 
Front  Vowels:  6 
Rounded :  9 
Groups,  Word:  61 


Intonation:  68 


21 


Lateral  Consonant : 

Letters:  26 

Double  Consonant-Letters: 

26 
Final  Consonant- Letters:  27 
Letters  and  Signs:  24 

Liaison:  64 

Logical  Stress:  62 

Mixed  Vowels:  9 

Names,  Proper:  57 
Nasal  Consonants:  20 
Nasal  Vowels:  11 

Oral  Vowels:  4 

Pitch:  67 

Production  of  Speech-Sounds:  1 

Proper  Names:  57 

Quantity,  Vowel:  63 


105 


106 


A  HANDBOOK  OF  FRENCH  PHONETICS 


Relation    of    French    Sounds    to 

French  Spelling :  2 
Rounded  Front  Vowels:  9 

Semiconsonants:  13 

BJ:  13;  [q,  w]:  14 
Signs,   Letters  and:  24 
Single  Word,  Stress  in  a:  61 
Sounds:  1 

of  French:  2 

Production    of    Speech- 
Sounds:  1 
Relation   of   French   Sounds 

and  French  Spelling:  2 
Table  of  Sounds,  Usual  Spell- 
ings and  Examples:  22 
Speech: 

Stress  in  Connected  Speech: 

61 
Syllabic  Division  in  Speech: 
59 
Speech-Sounds,  Production  of:  1 
Spelling: 

Relation   of   French   Sounds 

to  French  Spelling:  2 
Syllabic  Division  in  Spelling: 

60 
Table  of  Sounds,  Usual  Spell- 
ings and  Examples:  22 


Stress:  61 

In  a  Single  Word:  61 
In  Connected  Speech:  61 
Logical  and  Emotional:  62 

Syllabic  Division :  59 
In  Speech:  59 
In  Spelling  and  Writing:  60 

Synthesis:  59 

Table  of  Sounds,  Usual  Spellings 

and  Examples:  22 
Trilled  Consonants:  21 

Vowels:  4 
Back:  8 

[a,  o]:8;[o,  u]:9 
Front:  6 

[i]:  6;  [e,  e,  a]:  7 
Mixed:  9 

[y,  0,  ce]:  10;  [o]:  11 
Nasal:  11 

[e,  a,  5]:  12;  [ce]:  13 
Oral:  4 

Rounded  Front:  9 
Vowel  Quantity:  63 

Word: 

Foreign  Words:  56 

Stress  in  a  Single  Word:  61 

Word  Groups:  61 
Writing,  Syllabic  Division  in:  60 


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